The Nolina Page
Nolinaceae = Beargrass Family

Left: Beaucarnea (Nolina) recurvata (Pony-Tail Palm) is mass produced by the horticultural trade as a decorative bedding plant for warm climates and as a tender patio plant requiring winter protection from frost in temperate climates. Typically sold at 10 - 12 inches tall, these plants can grow very large with proper care over many years. If the growing tip is lost through cold, pruning or other damage, the stem can produce side shoots, as seen on the smaller plant at the rear. An attractively branched specimen of limited height can be produced through judicious pruning.
 
The 10ft specimen in the Princess of Wales Conservatory at RBG Kew produced a splendid inflorescence in February 2005.

Left: Beaucarnea recurvata inflorescence. Flowering is rarely seen in cultivation, as the plant has to be sufficiently old to have reached a substantial size.

Left: Dasylirion cedrosanum
A beautiful glaucous blue plant from Northern Mexico, similar to D. wheeleri although the leaves may be slightly wider. Marginal teeth point away from the leaf base. A short thick trunk develops with age. It is not widely grown, but is said to be quite hardy in a well-drained soil, so worth trying if you have a sunny sheltered corner.
Photographed in the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Arizona.

Left: Dasylirion leiophyllum (Sotol) in the "Green Gulch" of the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park, Texas. Although sufficiently mature to flower, these rosettes are stem-less. The hooked teeth on the leaf margins of this species curve towards the base of the leaves.
Where its range overlaps with D. texanum, hybrids with intermediate morphology occur and the marginal teeth may point towards the leaf base, leaf tip or straight out.
 
Left: Dasylirion leiophyllum (Sotol) - Davis Mountains, Texas. These mature specimens have developed short trunks hidden by persistent old leaves. Trunks may grow up to 5ft tall.
 
This hardy species is distributed through West Texas and East New Mexico into Mexico. It is cold resistant and widely grown as an ornamental within its natural range.

Left: Dasylirion wheeleri (Sotol) - South of Phoenix, Arizona. This species develops a trunk up to 5ft tall. The leaves produce a glaucous bloom when grown under cover, but this is washed off in habitat. It is mainly distributed through Arizona and Southern New Mexico into Mexico and being hardy and tolerant of poor soil is widely grown as an ornamental in the Southern USA.
 
Native peoples harvested the leaves to weave into baskets, mats, cords and thatching. The emerging inflorescence can be roasted and eaten. The plant was used to make an alcoholic liquor for distillation into a spirit called "Sotol".

Nolina bigelovii (Desert Nolina) flowering in Northern Arizona near Flagstaff, May 1997. With time, this species develops a trunk up to 10ft tall. Leaf margins are smooth and may be filamentous. Growing at an altitude of around 6000ft above sea level, this plant can be expected to show a degree of dry-cold resistance and is extremely drought resistant.
 
Nolina bigelovii is found in the dryest parts of Southeastern California through Southwest Arizona into Southern Nevada and also Sonoran Mexico and Baja California.

Left: Nolina erumpens with 5ft tall seed heads in the Chisos Mountains of the Big Bend National Park, Texas, in October 2003. The leaves remain erect and have finely toothed margins. The inflorescence and therefore seed heads is carried above the leaves. Growing at an altitude of around 6000ft above sea level, this individual must have a degree of cold resistance and tolerate occasional snow.
The species is distributed through West Texas into Mexico.

Left: Nolina matapensis (Sonoran Tree Beargrass) grows a trunk up to 25 ft tall, branching near the top and widening at the base. A felting of old leaves usually hides the dark fissured bark. The trunk carries large disorderly tufts of long blue-green grass-like leaves tapering to a point and with finely toothed margins. The inflorescence is a plume of numerous small creamy-white flowers.
Nolina matapensis is found in woodlands from 3500 - 6000 ft in Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico and occasionally seen as an ornamental in Mexico and the South-West USA. It is suitable for cultivation in Mediterranean climates and reported to tolerate mild frosts. Photographed in the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Arizona.

Left: Nolina microcarpa (Beargrass) in the Coronado National Forest, Southern Arizona. This stemless species has long narrow arching leaves with distinct fine teeth on their margins and a flattened keel on their underside.
 
Nolina microcarpa is distributed through high grasslands and forests (3500 - 5500ft) of Southern Arizona to West Texas and into Mexico. It will survive considerable dry cold.
 
Left: Clumps of Beargrass in high grassland of the Davis Mountains. Almost all the plants in this landscape are monocotyledons. A variety of grasses carpet the landscape between Nolinas, Dasylirions and Yuccas. A few hardy Opuntias (dicotyledons) also survive here.

Left: Nolina sp. flowering outside the Princess of Wales Conservatory, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Although North-American Nolina species are dry-cold hardy, the continual wetness of an English winter is a challenge and a very well-drained soil is essential.
The cacti were bedded out for a temporary summer display.

Nolina parryi is distributed through Southern California into Baja California below 3000ft. Often seen as a ground-hugging clump of fine olive-coloured leaves, it can develop a short 6ft trunk with age. Leaf margins are furnished with tiny sharp teeth. The 6 ft inflorescence is a panicle of small cream-coloured flowers and a group of flowering plants makes a superb display. It is surprising that Nolina parryi is not grown more often as a drought-tolerant garden plant.
Seen here growing among rocks in the Joshua Tree Park, California.
 
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Left: Nolina parryi subsp. wolfii flowering near the Arizona Joshua Tree Park Drive, Northern Arizona. This sub-species occurs in California at higher altitudes up to 5500ft with a limited distribution in Northern Arizona. It is regarded by some as a variety of Nolina bigelovii. The 15 ft trunk and 12 ft inflorescence are both substantially larger than those of Nolina parryi. Considering its range, it is also likely to be more tolerant of cold.

Nolina texana is a very similar species to Nolina erumpens but slightly smaller with narrower leaves, found from central Texas into Arizona and Southwards into Mexico. The inflorescence is produced down among the leaves instead of rising above it. Unfortunately, plant size depends much on the local environment.
Left: This small plant with narrower leaves than Nolina erumpens could be interpreted as Nolina texana. It was growing at a lower altitude in the "Green Gulch" of the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park, Texas.
 
Left: Nolina texana
Flowering in the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Arizona.