Manfreda maculosa

(Hooker) Rose

Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 8: 17. 1903.

Common names: Huaco wild-tuberose amole plant spice-lily soap plant
Basionym: Agave maculosa Hooker Bot. Mag. 85: plate 5122. 1859
Synonyms: Agave maculosa var. brevituba Engelmann Agave maculosa var. minor Jacobi Polianthes maculosa
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 26. Treatment on page 464. Mentioned on page 463.

Rhizomes cylindrical. Leaves sprawling, succulent, to 36 × 0.6–2.5 cm; blade spotted with green or brown, glaucous, channeled, linearlanceolate, brittle, margins with small, sparse, cartilaginous teeth. Scape 4.2–13.1 dm. Inflorescences open, to 4 dm, 7–33-flowered. Flowers erect, usually sessile, with strong, sweet odor; tepals pale-yellow or white, becoming pink to rose; perianth-tube funnelform, equal to or longer than ovary, 0.6–2.6 cm; limb lobes recurved, 0.9–1.9 × 0.3–0.5 cm; filaments bent near tip in bud, inserted near top of tube, exceeding tube by 0.8–2.2 cm; ovary 6–19 mm; style exceeding tube by 0.5–2.2 cm, usually shorter than stamens; stigma white, not clavate, deeply 3-lobed, lobes reflexed. Capsules ellipsoid, 1.1–2.4 × 1–1.5 cm.


Phenology: Flowering spring–early fall.
Habitat: Sandy or clay soils, in mesquite scrubland, in dry or moist sites
Elevation: 0–300 m

Distribution

V26 973-distribution-map.jpg

Tex., Mexico (Coahuila), Mexico (Nuevo León), Mexico (Tamaulipas)

Discussion

Chopped rhizomes of Manfreda maculosa have been used as a source of soap and shampoo in Texas, and plants are occasionally sold as ornamentals (S. E. Verhoek 1978b). Leaf size varies with growing conditions; flower size and ratio of floral parts are variable. The epithet maculata, which properly applies to a different Mexican species, has been used erroneously for this species.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thick" is not a number. "thin" is not a number."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property. "dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Manfreda maculosa"
longitudinal +
glandular-pubescent +  and glandular +
Susan Verhoek +
(Hooker) Rose +
membranous +
Agave maculosa +
, +  and spotted with green or spotted with brown +
channeled +
fibrous +, succulent +  and rigid +
reflexed +, erect +  and ascending +
scale-like +
straight +
1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> (2.4 cm24 mm <br />0.024 m <br />) +
ellipsoid +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
Huaco +, wild-tuberose +, amole plant +, spice-lily +  and soap plant +
Tex. +, Mexico (Coahuila) +, Mexico (Nuevo León) +  and Mexico (Tamaulipas) +
0–300 m +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
broadened +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
loculicidal +
globose +  and cylindrical +
fleshy +  and dry +
Sandy or clay soils, in mesquite scrubland, in dry or moist sites +
7-33-flowered +  and open +
spikate +  and racemose +
pseudopetiolate +, sessile +  and simple +
long-lived +  and annual +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (36 cm360 mm <br />0.36 m <br />) +
succulent +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1.9 cm19 mm <br />0.019 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
dentate +  and entire +
papillose +
denticulate +
cylindrical +, ovoid +  and 3-angled +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (?) +  and 1.9 cm19 mm <br />0.019 m <br /> (?) +
not +  and articulate +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (2.6 cm26 mm <br />0.026 m <br />) +
semisucculent +
Flowering spring–early fall. +
Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. +
cylindrical +
fibrous +  and fleshy +
triangular +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
exserted +  and included +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (2.2 cm22 mm <br />0.022 m <br />) +
subterranean +
3 +  and 1 +
3-lobed +  and not clavate +
Agave maculosa var. brevituba +, Agave maculosa var. minor +  and Polianthes maculosa +
Manfreda maculosa +
Manfreda +
species +
rhizomatous +  and scapose +
polygamodioecious +, dioecious +, monoecious +, polycarpic +  and monocarpic +
small;gigantic +
petal-like +