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''Agave maculata'' ( synonym ''Manfreda maculosa''), commonly known as the Texas tuberose or spice lily, is a species of ''
''Agave maculata'' ( synonym ''Manfreda maculosa''), commonly known as the Texas tuberose or spice lily, is a species of ''Agave
''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas and the Caribbean, although some ''Agave'' species are also native to tropical areas of North America, such as Mexico. The genus is primarily known for ...
'' that is endemic to southern Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
and northeastern Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
.
Description
The Texas tuberose is acaulescent, meaning the stem is extremely short. The fleshy silvery-green leaves are covered with purple spots and in low light situations may lay flat on the ground. In a drought, the leaves may wither, leaving little or nothing visible above ground. Sufficient precipitation yields an inflorescence tall in the period April–September. The new flower stalks (inflorescences) are fed on by small mammals,javelina
A peccary (also javelina or skunk pig) is a medium-sized, pig-like hoofed mammal of the family Tayassuidae (New World pigs). They are found throughout Central and South America, Trinidad in the Caribbean, and in the southwestern area of North ...
, deer, and feral pigs, which can end the flowering effort for that season. The leaves are fed on by these as well, especially during droughts, weakening and killing the plants.
The flowers open and change colors over 3–4 days of life, from white to pink to dark red. The inferior ovaries turn from green to purple to black as they mature as seedpods.
Taxonomy
''Agave maculata'' was first described byEduard von Regel
Eduard August von Regel (sometimes Edward von Regel or Edward de Regel or Édouard von Regel), Russian: Эдуард Август Фон Регель; (born 13 August 1815 in Gotha; died 15 April 1892 in St. Petersburg) was a German horticultura ...
in 1856. Later, in 1859, William Hooker described the same species as ''Agave maculosa''. It was under this synonym that it was transferred to the genus ''Manfreda'' and then the genus ''Polianthes'' (both now included in ''Agave''), but Regel's epithet is the oldest and so has priority.
Ecology
Texas tuberose is the primary host plant for the caterpillars of the rare manfreda giant-skipper or aloe skipper ('' Stallingsia maculosus'' (= ''Stallingsia smithi'')). A reduction in the ''A. maculata'' population could threaten the existence of the butterflies.
References
* Lehman, R.L., O'Brien, R., and T. White. 2005. Plants of the Texas coastal bend. Texas A&M Univ. Press. 352 pp. * Scott, J.A. 1986. The butterflies of North America: a natural history and field guide. Stanford Univ. Press. 583 pp.External links
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q60433588, from2=Q391794, from3=Q6748556 maculata Flora of Northeastern Mexico Flora of Tamaulipas Flora of Texas Flora of the Rio Grande valleys Flora of the Chihuahuan Desert Garden plants of North America Butterfly food plants Drought-tolerant plants Plants described in 1856