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Hesperaloe funifera

Hesperaloe funifera is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae. It is native to Texas and northern Mexico, but sometimes cultivated as an ornamental elsewhere.

Last revised
Jul 7, 2026
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≈ 2 min
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365 w
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Hesperaloe funifera
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Spermatophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Agavoideae
Genus: Hesperaloe
Species:
H. funifera
Binomial name
Hesperaloe funifera
Synonyms1
  • Agave funifera (K.Koch) Lem.
  • Hesperaloe davyi Baker f.
  • Yucca funifera K. Koch

Hesperaloe funifera (Coahuilan Hesperaloe, Giant Hesperaloe, or Mexican false yucca)2 is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae.34 It is native to Texas (Val Verde County) and northern Mexico (Coahuila, San Luis Potosí, Nuevo León), but sometimes cultivated as an ornamental elsewhere.5678

Hesperaloe funifera grows on rocky slopes and open plains in the Tamaulipan mezquital and the eastern edges of the Chihuahuan Desert. It is a rosette-forming perennial. It has long, narrow, yellow-green blades up to 200 cm long but only 5 cm across. Flowering stalk can be up to 250 cm tall, with long branches. Flowers are green or white, often tinged with purple, about 25 mm across.5910 The specific name funifera is derived from the Latin funis "rope" and fero "I bear" and thus signifies "bearer (provider) of rope" in reference to the plant's strong fibre, which may be used for this purpose.1112

References

References

  1. The Plant List, Hesperaloe funifera
  2. NRCS. "Hesperaloe funifera". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  3. "Hesperaloe funifera (K.Koch) Trel". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  4. "Hesperaloe funifera (K.Koch) Trel". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000. n.d. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  5. Flora of North America v 26 v 441, Hesperaloe funifera
  6. BONAP (Biota of North America Program) floristic synthesis map, Hesperaloe funifera
  7. CONABIO. 2009. Catálogo taxonómico de especies de México. 1. In Capital Nat. México. CONABIO, Mexico City.
  8. "Der Palmenmann, Fröhlinde, Germany, March 2014, Hesperaloe funifera". Archived from the original on 2014-03-11. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
  9. Koch, Karl Heinrich Emil (Ludwig). 1862. La Belgique Horticole 12: 132.
  10. Trelease, William. 1902. Annual Report of the Missouri Botanical Garden 13: 36.
  11. Steven P. McLaughlin and Susan M. Schuck Economic Botany Vol. 45, No. 4 (Oct. - Dec., 1991), pp. 480-486 Fiber Properties of Several Species of Agavaceae from the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico
  12. Google translate: language: Latin.
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