Samuela

Morphological Summary

Monotypic or diotypic genus in the family Asparagaceae, closely related to Yucca and now treated by most taxonomic authorities as a synonym of that genus. Samuela plants are large tree yuccas native to the Chihuahuan Desert and arid zones of northeastern Mexico, capable of reaching 5 m in height with a well-defined trunk crowned by a dense rosette of rigid, linear leaves with filamentous margins. Their imposing architecture and the scarcity of water in their natural habitat have made their populations key components of the desert landscape. They flower producing enormous terminal panicles of white campanulate flowers pollinated by Tegeticula moths (obligate mutualism). The main species, S. carnerosana (= Yucca carnerosana), is known locally as palma samandoca and its fibre has been used artisanally for centuries.