Dasylirion
Dasylirion miquihuanense In Tamaulipas
Dasylirion is a plant genus which belongs to the family of asparagus plants ( Asparagaceae ). The botanical name is derived from the Greek words for dasys, dense ',' rough ',' unkempt ' and Leirion for, lily ' off and was probably chosen because of the long, disordered leaves.
- 3.1 Outer systematics
- 3.2 Internal systematics
- 4.1 Literature
- 4.2 Notes and references
Description
Vegetative characteristics
The species of the genus Dasylirion are low growing, stem -forming, perennial shrubs. At the end of the thick, unbranched stems, are the terminal leaves in rosettes together. Sometimes the leaf rosettes are more or less stemless. The leaves are linear, hard and fibrous. Its edge is finely serrated or prickly or unarmed.
Generative features
The elongated inflorescence is a panicle, has showy bracts and is up to 6 meters high. The flower stem is broken at the flower base. The small, persistent perianth is white. The six stamens are stunted in female flowers. The ovary bears two to three ovules. The very short pen is upright. The fruits are smaller thin walled capsules containing only one seed.
Dissemination
The genus Dasylirion is common in Mexico and the southern United States from sea level to altitudes of 3000 meters. Most species are native to Mexico. They grow in the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi, Durango, Sonora, Hidalgo, Puebla, Querétaro, Oaxaca, Aguascalientes, Zacatecas, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Guerrero and Mexico. In the south of the United States the distribution area includes the states of New Mexico, Arizona and Texas.
Locations are dry forests and shrub lands, steppe areas in the grasslands, as well as in rocky, shallow or steep slopes with calcareous or volcanic substrates and gypsum dunes.
System
Outer systematics
Dasylirion belongs to the tribe Nolineae of the subfamily of Nolinoideae in the family of asparagus plants ( Asparagaceae ) within the monocot plants ( monocots ). Phylogenetic analyzes confirmed the already suspected by William Trelease close relationship to the genera Beaucarnea, Calibanus and Nolina:
Dasylirion
Beaucarnea
Calibanus
Nolina
All four genera have narrow, fibrous leaves, small, unisexual flowers and dry, capsule-like fruits containing one to three seeds. They differ mainly in the morphology of the fruit. Nolina has fruit with three well-trained chambers and usually three seeds. Calibanus has also insulated draft tube fruit, but only one of the three ovule matures into a seed zoom and crushed while the other two chambers. Beaucarnea and Dasylirion form three-winged fruits with only one chamber and a seed. Dasylirion can be easily distinguished by the sharp spines on the leaf margins.
Inside systematics
The first description of the genus was made in 1838 by Joseph Gerhard Zuccarini. William Trelease divided the genus in 1911 in the two sections Dasylirion and Quadrangulatae. Fritz Hochstätter added in 2011, the Section glaucophyllum added.
The genus Dasylirion is poorly known. After Fritz Hochstätter (2011) belong to it the following ways:
- Section Dasylirion Dasylirion graminifolium ( Zucc. ) Zucc.
- Dasylirion acrotrichum ( drop) Zucc.
- Dasylirion parryanum Trel.
- Dasylirion Leiophyllum Engelm. ex Trel.
- Dasylirion lucidum Rose
- Dasylirion serratifolium ( Karw. ex Schult. & Schult.f. ) Zucc.
- Dasylirion texanum Scheele
- Dasylirion simplex Trel.
- Dasylirion gentryi Bogler
- Dasylirion longissimum Lem.
- Dasylirion miquihuanense Bogler
- Dasylirion treleasei ( Bogler ) Hochstätter
- Dasylirion quadrangulatum S.Watson
- Dasylirion glaucophyllum Hook.
- Dasylirion occidentalis Bogler ex Hochstätter
- Dasylirion cedrosanum Trel.
- Dasylirion berlandieri S.Watson
- Dasylirion palaciosii Rzed.
- Dasylirion longistylum J.F.Macbr.
- Dasylirion duran Gense Trel.
- Dasylirion sereke Bogler
- Dasylirion wheeleri S.Watson ex Rothr.