Hesperocallis

Hesperocallis undulata
File:Hesperocallis undulata.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Asparagaceae
Subfamily:	Agavoideae
Genus:	Hesperocallis
Species:	H. undulata
Binomial name
Hesperocallis undulata A.Gray, 1868

Hesperocallis is a genus of flowering plants that includes a single species, Hesperocallis undulata, known as the desert lily or ajo lily.

It is found in the desert areas of southwestern North America, in Northwestern Mexico, California, and Arizona. The plant grows in Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert habitats.

Taxonomy

In the APG III system, adopted here, Hesperocallis is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae, since recent molecular systematic studies (Pires et al. 2004) have confirmed a close relationship with Agave. Other classifications have included the species in its own family, Hemerocallidaceae, or placed it in the Hostaceae (Funkiaceae); both families are submerged into the Agavoideae in the APG III system. As with many of the 'lilioid monocots', prior to the use of molecular evidence in classification, it was placed in the Liliaceae.

Uses

The bulbs of the desert lily were eaten by native peoples.

References

• Pires, J. C., I. J. Maureira, J. P. Rebman, G. A. Salazar, L. I. Cabrera, M. F. Fay, and M. W. Chase. 2004. Molecular data confirm the phylogenetic placement of the enigmatic Hesperocallis (Hesperocallidaceae) with Agave. Madroño 51: 307–311.
• NCBI Taxonomy Browser

External links

• CalFlora Database: Hesperocallis undulata
• genus and USDA Plants Profile of Hesperocallis undulata
• Hesperocallis in the Flora of North America (treated as a member of the family Liliaceae); Distribution Map
• Hesperocallis undulata pictures
• links at CSDL, Texas

• American Indian Ethnobotany Database: Hesperocallis undulata