#hesperaloe

[ruthbancroftgarden]

Hesperaloe campanulata

Hesperaloe is a small genus related to Yucca and Agave, found in northern Mexico and across the border in the southwestern U.S. The long sword-like leaves seen here, with curling threads along their edges, are typical of the genus, but the bell-like pink flowers are a special treat. The inflorescences are very tall and have several widely diverging branches, and the flowers occur for a long time in the summer and into the fall.

-Brian

[cactguy]

University of Texas, Austin

Nothing to look at here, standard fare

[freshtendril]

My potted garden outside my door

[rafaelpessanha]

another tiny voices 💮 . . . . . #plants #nature #flowers #scarletbuglea #flordecoral #hesperaloe #flores #natureza #macrophoto #flor #intothewild #uniquegarden #ilovenature (em Unique Garden) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_qvI8knMdb/?igshid=87fw0shhrl00

[conspectusargosy]

Hesperaloe parvifolia, or red yucca. A nice decorative moderately xerophile plant. When pollinated, its pods become huuuuge and weigh down the long flower stems.

[earthstory]

Video by @TimLaman | A female Costa’s hummingbird visits Hesperaloe flowers at the Sunnylands Center and Gardens, Rancho Mirage, California. I love filming with beautiful early morning backlighting, and using slow motion to bring the hummingbird action a bit closer to human speed. I’m always amazed by the precision with which these masters of flight can control their position in the air: wings beating furiously but holding their bill perfectly steady to feed on delicate flowers. Shot in 6K to capture all that wonderful detail. #hummingbird #slowmotion #california #backlight #TL_wildlifephototips. See more of my wildlife photos and videos @TimLaman.

natgeo

[txwitchery]

Red Yucca / Samansoque

Hesperaloe parviflora

Native to the Chihuahuan Desert of west Texas, this clumped evergreen plant bears tall red flowers, attractive to humans and hummingbirds alike, that make it a favourite in water-conscious landscaping. Its narrow leaves are bordered with a fringe of white stringy hairs. Its close cousin, H. funifera, is under observation as a possible sustainable source of paper pulp due to the genus’s high levels of alpha-cellulose coupled with low levels of lignin. 

Although one of its English common names is ‘red yucca’, this plant is not actually a yucca, but rather in the Agave Family (Agavaceae). The foliage is readily eaten by deer, and hummingbirds drink nectar from the flowers. I could not find any historical or current medicinal use for any part of the plant. 

I associate the red yucca with the Sun, the element Fire, the god Vulcan, and the astrological sign Capricorn. 

[ruthbancroftgarden]

Hesperaloe campanulata

The upper photo above shows a plant in flower, but the stalk is so tall that not much detail is visible when you stand far enough back to take in all of it. But the lower photo shows how beautiful the flowers are - pink on the outside and white within. Also visible is the green seed capsule, which will split open at maturity to release the black seeds. Hesperaloe campanulata is a rare plant in nature, and it is just beginning to get better known in the horticultural world, in contrast to its widely-grown relative Hesperaloe parviflora. Both species are cold-tolerant and drought-tolerant, and they are related to the yuccas.

-Brian