Dasylirion wheeleri

S. Watson ex Rothrock

Rep. U.S. Geogr. Surv., Wheeler, 272. 1878.

Common names: Desert spoon
Illustrated
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 26. Treatment on page 422. Mentioned on page 421, 423.

Plants robust, with large crowns, to 40 cm diam.; trunks to 1.5 m, usually reclining. Leaves stout, rigid; blade whitish or bluish green, 35–100 × 2–3 cm wide above broadened base, densely waxy-glaucous, papillose, dull; prickles all antrorse. Inflorescences often massive, to 5 m; stalk 3–6 diam. at base; branches lateral, pendent in fruit, 3–10 cm; bracts wedge-shaped, attenuate; fascicles of flowers spreading, 10–20 cm from base to tip; primary-axes 4–14 cm. Flowers with receptacles 0.2–0.5 mm; tepals sometimes tinged purple, 2.4 × 1–1.5 mm; style 0.2–0.3 mm, becoming swollen and golden brown in fruit; stigma lobes 0.4 mm; pedicel 3–3.5 mm in fruit. Capsules broadly obovoid or rounded in cross-section, not indented, 5–8 × 4–5 (–7) mm; distal wing lobes 2–2.5 mm, often indented on side. 2n = 38.


Phenology: Flowering mostly late May–Jun.
Habitat: Open, rocky slopes
Elevation: 1200–1900 m

Distribution

V26 867-distribution-map.jpg

Ariz., N.Mex., Tex., Mexico (Chihuahua), Mexico (Sonora)

Discussion

Morphologically, Dasylirion wheeleri is fairly uniform within its range in the United States, with some minor variation in fruit size and receptacle length.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Dasylirion wheeleri"
longitudinal +
glandular-pubescent +  and glandular +
David J. Bogler +
S. Watson ex Rothrock +
overlapping +
spoon--shaped +
expanded +
broadened +
bluish green +  and whitish +
waxy-glaucous +
papillose +
elliptic +, ovate +, oblanceolate +, lanceolate +  and linear +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (?) +  and 3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (?) +
stramineous +
reflexed +, erect +  and ascending +
attenuate +  and wedge--shaped +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
not indented +, rounded +  and obovoid +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
Desert spoon +
Ariz. +, N.Mex. +, Tex. +, Mexico (Chihuahua) +  and Mexico (Sonora) +
1200–1900 m +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
broadened +
pistillate +  and staminate +
female +, male +  and unisexual +
3-winged +  and capsular +
indehiscent +
fleshy +  and dry +
Open, rocky slopes +
racemose +  and paniculate +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (?) +  and 500 cm5,000 mm <br />5 m <br /> (?) +
pseudopetiolate +, sessile +  and simple +
persistent +
connate +
dentate +, serrulate +  and entire +
denticulate +
3-angled +
not +  and articulate +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
semisucculent +
Flowering mostly late May–Jun. +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (14 cm140 mm <br />0.14 m <br />) +
Rep. U.S. Geogr. Surv., Wheeler, +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
golden brown +
turbinate +  and 3-angled +
Illustrated +
exserted +  and included +
rudimentary +
aboveground +  and subterranean +
elongate +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (?) +
3 +  and 1 +
golden brown +
exserted +  and included +
swollen +
expanded +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br />) +
Dasylirion wheeleri +
Dasylirion +
species +
tinged purple +
distinct +
obovate +
1mm;1.5mm +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (150 cm1,500 mm <br />1.5 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br />) +
small;gigantic +
petal-like +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +