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Bigelow's Nolina
Nolina bigelovii
  
About Bigelow's Nolina (Nolina bigelovii) 19 Nurseries Carry This Plant Nolina bigelovii, Bigelow's nolina or beargrass, is a flowering monocot plant in the Ruscaceae (Butcher's-broom) family that is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It grows in the driest desert areas and at elevations up to 1500 meters, primarily in the Mojave Desert. The genus Nolina has undergone several taxonomic changes. Despite its appearance and common name of Beargrass, it is not a grass. Both the foliage and flowers resemble Yuccas which are in a different family. It was previously grouped in the Liliaceae (Lily) family. The trunklike stem may exceed 2 meters in height, part of which may be underground. In maturity it may branch. The stiff, shreddy leaves are arranged in rosettes about the stem, with up to 150 per rosette. The bases are thick and fleshy and much wider than the rest of the blade. The treelike flower cluster may approach 4 meters in height. The tiny flowers each have six whitish petals a few millimeters in length.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Perennial herb, Succulent

Size
Size
4 - 8 ft tall
4 ft wide

Form
Form
Fountain

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Slow

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Flower Color
Flower Color
White

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring

Wildlife Supported
 
Various insects are attracted to the flowers. Birds and small mammals are attracted to the seeds

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 1 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Extremely Low, Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 0° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast

Soil Description
Soil Description
Typically coarse, fast draining decomposed granite. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Groundcovers, Deer Resistant

Maintenance
Maintenance
Dried leaves can be removed at any time for a neater appearance

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
2, 3, 7*, 8, 9, 10*, 11, 12, 13, 14*, 15, 16, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Slopes and ridges of the Mojave Desert, often among granite boulders

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 4.0" - 14.5", Summer Precipitation: 1.01" - 2.88", Coldest Month: 46.3" - 61.4", Hottest Month: 72.0" - 88.8", Humidity: 3.70" - 42.82", Elevation: 500" - 4834"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Beargrass, Bigelow Nolina, Palmilla De Culebra


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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