''Hesperoyucca peninsularis'', the peninsular candle or lechuguilla, is a plant species
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
semelparous
Semelparity and iteroparity are two contrasting reproductive strategies available to living organisms. A species is considered semelparous if it is characterized by a single reproductive episode before death, and iteroparous if it is characteri ...
monocarpic
Monocarpic plants are those that flower and set seeds only once, and then die.
The term is derived from Greek (''mono'', "single" + ''karpos'', "fruit" or "grain"), and was first used by Alphonse de Candolle. Other terms with the same meaning ar ...
or
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 ...
, and sometimes
rhizomatous
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow ho ...
. Some
form
Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens.
Form also refers to:
*Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter data
...
secondary rosettes at their base while others branch their caudex to produce new rosettes after flowering.
Taxonomy
Phylogeny and classification
Although morphological characteristics and phylogenetic ITS analysis show that ''H. peninsularis'' is somewhat distinct from '' H. whipplei'', it is still widely recognized as either a form or a subspecies of ''H.'' ''whipplei''. More conclusive research shows that ''H. peninsularis'' and ''H. whipplei'' form a polytomy, and are sister to '' H. newberryi'', which is consistent with the fact that the populations of ''H. newberryi'' are disjunct from the genus while ''H. peninsularis'' and ''H. whipplei'' overlap.Archibald, J. K., Kephart, S. R., Theiss, K. E., Petrosky, A. L., & Culley, T. M. (2015) Multilocus phylogenetic inference in subfamily Chlorogaloideae and related genera of Agavaceae–Informing questions in taxonomy at multiple ranks. ''Molecular phylogenetics and evolution'', ''84'', 266-283.
Distribution and habitat
It occurs in the coastal succulent scrub of northwestern Baja California south into the
Central Desert
The deserts of Australia or the Australian deserts cover about , or 18% of the Australian mainland, but about 35% of the Australian continent receives so little rain, it is practically desert. Collectively known as the Great Australian desert, t ...
and the
Sierra de San Francisco
The Sierra de San Francisco is a mountain range in Mulegé Municipality of the northern region of Baja California Sur state, in northwestern Mexico.
Geography
The Sierra de San Francisco are on the eastern side of the Baja California Peninsula, ...
Larrea
''Larrea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the caltrop family, Zygophyllaceae. It contains five species of evergreen shrubs that are native to the Americas. The generic name honours Bishop Juan Antonio Hernández Pérez de Larrea, a patron of ...
Dudleya
''Dudleya'', commonly known as liveforevers (Spanish: ''siemprevivas'') is a genus of succulent plants in the stonecrop family, Crassulaceae, consisting of about 68 taxa in southwestern North America and Guadalupe Island. The species come in mu ...
'', ''
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 ...
'',
ragweed
Ragweeds are flowering plants in the genus ''Ambrosia'' in the aster family, Asteraceae. They are distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, especially North America,chollas. It grows on granite or basalt soils. The plant tends to grow in clusters but occasionally can be found growing solitarily.