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Texas Beargrass

Nolina texana

Other common name(s):

Nolina Basketgrass

Family:

Asparagaceae (Asparagus Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Southern Texas Plains
Limestone Plains
Chihuahuan Basins and Playas, Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands, Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands, Low Mountains and Bajadas, Stockton Plateau
Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift, Semiarid Edwards Plateau
Semiarid Edwards Bajada

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Shrub

Height

1.5
to
2.5
ft.

Spread

6
to
6
ft.

Leaf Retention

Evergreen

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Loam, Clay, Rocky, Limestone

Light Requirement

Part Shade

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Grassland, Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Season

Spring, Summer

Seasonal Interest

Seeds, Nectar, Larval Host

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Nectar Insects

Maintenance

Evergreen garden accent. Slow-growing but hardy and low maintenance. Remove flowering stalks after blooming or leave for wildlife. Prune sharp pointed leaves away from sidewalks or patios for safety reasons. Thin clumps by removing sections of the plant every few years to rejuvenate and transplant to other locations. Propagation: Seed, Offshoot division. Seed.

Comments

Blooms February-June. Not a true grass. Forms a grass-like mounding form. Narrow, roundish evergreen leaves grow in clumps, with widely spaced teeth along the margins. Spike of small, cream colored flowers, appear in spring and early summer. Flowers barely protrude above the foliage. Native Habitat: forest openings and borders. Blooms February through June. Fruit a distinctly 3-lobed, a thin-walled capsule. Larval Host: Atea Hairstreak and Sandia Hairstreak butterflies.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym(s): Nolina affinis, Nolina texana var. compacta

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48. 3) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 253. 4) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=42996#null, 5) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=22325&locationType=County&mapType=Normal, 6) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014.

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State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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