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Key to families | Table of families and genera

Previous taxon Indexes to all accepted names and synonyms:
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AGAVACEAE CENTURY PLANT FAMILY

Dale W. McNeal, except as noted

Perennial, shrub, tree, fibrous succulent or not, from bulbs or rhizomes.
Stem: above ground or not, branched or not.
Leaf: simple, deciduous or not, basal or in terminal rosettes, generally sessile, linear, lanceolate, oblanceolate or ovate, fibrous or not, thin and flexible or thick and rigid or succulent; margin entire, fine- serrate, dentate, or with filaments, tips rigid or flexible, with a spine or not.
Flower: bisexual; perianth parts 6, in 2 petal-like whorls, free or ± fused; stamens 6, ± fused to perianth, filaments often wide, succulent; ovary superior or inferior, chambers 3, style 1 (thick, poorly defined), stigma head-like or 3-lobed.
Fruit: capsule, indehiscent, loculicidal, or septicidal.
Seed: few to many, ± flat or ovoid, generally black.
23 genera, 637 species: worldwide. —Scientific Editors: Dale W. McNeal, Thomas J. Rosatti.

Key to Agavaceae

HESPEROYUCCA QUIXOTE PLANT, CHAPARRAL YUCCA

William J. Hess

Shrub-like, dying after fruit or not; rosettes >=1, clumped or not.
Leaf: linear to narrow- lanceolate, thick, ± rigid, glaucous, spine-tipped, margins ± yellow, fine-toothed.
Inflorescence: scapose, panicle, cylindric, glabrous, exceeding rosettes; peduncle generally > 2.5 cm wide; bracts generally reflexed.
Flower: bisexual; perianth bell-shaped or spheric, parts free, wide- lanceolate, white to ± green or purple-tinged; stamens thick, generally > pistil; ovary superior, stigma head-like.
Fruit: erect, obovoid, loculicidal.
Seed: many per chamber, 6–9 mm diam, thin, flat, dull black.
x=30.
3 species: AZ, CA, n Mex. (Greek: western yucca)
Unabridged etymology: (Greek: hesperos (western), yucca)
Unabridged references: [Baker 1892 Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1892:8]

H. whipplei (Torr.) Trel.
NATIVE

Stem: ± 0.
Leaf: 40–100 cm, 0.7–2 cm wide, ± gray-green; expanded base 4–7 cm, 4–7 cm wide, ± white to ± green.
Inflorescence: 1 per rosette; 2–40 dm, dense; peduncle 15–35 dm; branches, flowers many.
Flower: perianth ± 4 cm, white or cream to ± green, purple-tinged or -tipped or not; filaments linear below, tip club-like; pistil 1–1.5 cm, stigma domed, green, clear- papillate.
Fruit: 3–5 cm, 1.5–4 cm wide.
Chaparral, coastal, desert scrub; < 2500 m. s Sierra Nevada (especially e slope), South Coast Ranges, Southwestern California, East of Sierra Nevada (Deep Springs Valley), sw edge Mojave Desert; n Baja California. [Yucca whipplei Torr.] Apr–May [Online Interchange]
Unabridged note: Growth form variable; infraspecific taxa questionable. The following have been historically recognized in CA but here are treated as synonyms under Yucca whipplei: Yucca whipplei subsp. cespitosa (M.E. Jones) A.L. Haines (branched plants; desert edge); Yucca whipplei subsp. intermedia A.L. Haines (late-branching plants; coastal); Yucca whipplei subsp. parishii (M.E. Jones) A.L. Haines (large, unbranched plants; s slope SnGb, SnBr); and Yucca whipplei subsp. percursa A.L. Haines (rhizomatous colonial plants; s SCoR).

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Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].

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Bioregions in which taxon occursRed area (if present) is the part of the bioregion lying between the upper and lower elevation limits of the taxon;
markers link to CCH specimen records. If the markers are obscured, reload the page [or change window size and reload]. Yellow markers indicate records that may provide evidence for eFlora range revision or may have georeferencing or identification issues.
map of distribution 1

Chart based on elevation range in Manual and elevations and coordinates of CCH records.
Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria.
Note: About half of the CCH records include both elevation and coordinates.
Map made in collaboration with Scott Loarie. Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria.
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CCH collections by month

Duplicates counted once; synonyms included.
Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa.
Blue line denotes Manual flowering time.