Common Names: BEARGRASS, BASKETGRASS, (_SACAHUISTE_)
Arizona desert: (_Nolina microcarpa_). Tan-cream. May-June.
California desert: (_Nolina parryi_). White-cream. May-June.
Texas desert: (_Nolina erumpens_). White-cream. May-June.
Lily family. Size: Ragged clumps 4 to 8 feet in diameter and flower
stalks up to 8 feet high.
The _Nolinas_ are sometimes confused with Sotol and the _Yuccas_ and
occasionally with the _Agaves_. However, the _Nolinas_ resemble huge
clumps of long-bladed grass, whereas Sotol leaves are ribbon-like and
_Yucca_ leaves taper to a sharp point. Flower stalks of the _Nolinas_
are usually drooping and plume-like, and the numerous flowers are tiny.
The many papery, dry-winged fruits often remain on the stalk until late
autumn.
Beargrass does not grow on the flat mesas or sandy flats as do the
Yuccas, but is confined to exposed locations on rocky slopes above the
3,000-foot elevation. The Parry Nolina of the California Desert is a
larger and more spectacular plant than the species found in the Arizona
and Texas-New Mexico Deserts. Indians are reported to use the very young
flower stalks for food. Leaves are browsed by livestock in times of
drought, sometimes with harmful results in the case of sheep or goats.
[Illustration: Nolina parryi]