Nolina

Morphological Summary

Genus of plants in the family Asparagaceae (subfamily Nolinoideae) distributed in southwestern North America (Mexico, southwestern United States). They are grass-like plants with long, fibrous leaves in rosettes or tufts arising from a basal caudex or short trunk. Unlike Beaucarnea (with which they share the subfamily Nolinoideae), Nolina have more woody, less swollen caudiciform bases. They adapt to arid, semi-arid, and high mountain conditions. Important for the wildlife of their ecosystems: birds and bats pollinate their flowers on long spikes.