''Calibanus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of two species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s, both evergreen

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

s from dry areas of northeastern Mexico. The APG III classification system places it in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Asparagaceae Asparagaceae, known as the asparagus family, is a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots. The family name is based on the edible garden asparagus, ''Asparagus officinalis''. Those who live in the temperate c ...

, subfamily

Nolinoideae Nolinoideae is a monocot subfamily of the family (biology), family Asparagaceae in the APG III system of 2009. It used to be treated as a separate family, Ruscaceae sensu lato, s.l. The family name is derived from the Binomial nomenclature, gener ...

(formerly the family Ruscaceae.) It was formerly included in the Agavaceae (now

Agavoideae Agavoideae is a subfamily of monocot flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, order Asparagales. It has previously been treated as a separate family, Agavaceae. The group includes many well-known desert and dry-zone types, such as the agave ...

) but is now separated from them, for it is

polycarpic Polycarpic plants are those that flower and set seeds many times before dying. A term of identical meaning is pleonanthic and iteroparous. Polycarpic plants are able to reproduce multiple times due to at least some portion of its meristems being ab ...

and

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

. Its name refers to the monster

Caliban Caliban ( ), son of the witch Sycorax, is an important character in William Shakespeare's play '' The Tempest''. His character is one of the few Shakespearean figures to take on a life of its own "outside" Shakespeare's own work: as Russell ...

, an

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...

in Shakespeare's ''The Tempest''. ''Calibanus'' is

. It is extremely drought-tolerant, with a slow-growing habit. It has tuberous roots called

caudices A caudex (plural: caudices) of a plant is a stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695 In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caudex" is ...

. The caudex can grow to 1m in diameter, with clumps of green-blue, coarse, grasslike, wiry leaves 50 cm long rising from the center and arching down with age. Clusters of tiny, creamy-white flowers, sometimes tinged with pink or purple, are rigid, about 10–20 cm long. Female plants bear globose, ovoid, 3-angled berries with ellipsoid seeds.Hernández Sandoval, L. & S. Zamudio Ruíz. 2003. Two new remarkable Nolinaceae from central Mexico. Brittonia 55(3): 226–232. Calibanus hookeri detail.JPG, Leaves of ''Calibanus hookeri'' Calibanus hookeri bark.JPG, Bark of ''Calibanus hookeri''

Species

# ''

Calibanus glassianus ''Calibanus glassianus'' is a rare plant species known from the Mexican state of Guanajuato. It is an evergreen succulent with a swollen stem and red berries.Luis Hernández Sandoval & Sergio Zamudio. Brittonia 55(3): 228 (-231; fig. 2).2003 It ...

'' L.Hern. & Zamudio - Guanajuato # ''

Calibanus hookeri One of only two species in its genus, ''Calibanus hookeri'' is a member of the family Asparagaceae native to Tamaulipas in Mexico, which can easily be mistaken in the wild for a boulder overgrown with grass tufts. Description ''Calibanus hook ...

'' (Lem.) Trel. - San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo

References

Bihrmann's Cauduciforms, ''Calibanus hookeri''
Asparagaceae genera Nolinoideae Dioecious plants {{Asparagaceae-stub