Hesperaloe funifera (Coahuilan Hesperaloe, Giant Hesperaloe, or Mexican false yucca) is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae. It is native to Texas (Val Verde County) and northern Mexico (Coahuila, San Luis Potosí, Nuevo León), but sometimes cultivated as an ornamental elsewhere.Flora of North America v 26 v 441, Hesperaloe funiferaBONAP (Biota of North America Program) floristic synthesis map, Hesperaloe funiferaCONABIO. 2009. Catálogo taxonómico de especies de México. 1. In Capital Nat. México. CONABIO, Mexico City.
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.Koch, Karl Heinrich Emil (Ludwig). 1862. La Belgique Horticole 12: 132.Trelease, William. 1902. Annual Report of the Missouri Botanical Garden 13: 36. 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. 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 MexicoGoogle translate: language: Latin.
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