''Nolina brittoniana'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the asparagus family known by the common name Britton's beargrass. It is endemic to Florida, where there are 72 known populations, only a few of which are large enough to be considered viable.USFWS
''Nolina brittoniana''.
May 2010. It is federally listed as an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

of the United States. This plant has no aboveground stem. It is a rosette of leaves attached at a bulblike base which arises from an underground

caudex 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 m ...

, a modified stem. The grasslike leaves are up to a meter long and rarely more than a centimeter wide. The edges are serrated with cartilaginous teeth. The inflorescence is a large, erect panicle up to a meter tall. It has small

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

s and reduced leaves. The many small flowers have tepals measuring only 1 or 2 millimeters long. While the flowers are bisexual, they are functionally unisexual, with either the male or female part reduced and not functional. Most plants have either functionally male or female flowers, but some have both. Blooming occurs in March through May.''Nolina brittoniana''.
Center for Plant Conservation. The flowers give rise to winged capsules roughly a centimeter long by a centimeter wide.''Nolina brittoniana''.
Flora of North America. The plant reproduces sexually via seed and vegetatively by cloning. Brittons beargrass

The plant is limited to seven counties in Central Florida, where it grows in a number of habitat types. It is known from various kinds of Florida scrub habitat, hammocks, and sandhills.Dolan, R. W., et al. (2004)
Population genetic structure in ''Nolina brittoniana'' (Agavaceae), a plant endemic to the central ridges of Florida.
''Southeastern Naturalist'' 3:1 25-26. The habitat types are different in many ways but they all have dry, well-drained, low-nutrient sandy soils and they are all maintained by wildfire. The plant is present on Lake Wales Ridge, home to many rare Central Florida endemic plants. It grows alongside ''

Polygala lewtonii ''Polygala lewtonii'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the milkwort family known by the common name Lewton's polygala, or Lewton's milkwort. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where it is limited to the central ridge of the ...

'', '' Polygonum dentoceras'', '' Polygonum basiramia'', '' Paronychia chartacea'' subsp. ''chartacea'', ''

Persea humilis ''Persea'' is a genus of about 150 species of evergreen trees belonging to the laurel family, Lauraceae. The best-known member of the genus is the avocado, ''P. americana'', widely cultivated in subtropical regions for its large, edible fruit. ...

'', '' Liatris ohlingerae'', '' Hypericum cumulicola'', '' Conradina brevifolia'', '' Calamintha ashei'', and '' Bonamia grandiflora''. The plant is relatively widespread when compared with other rare local plants, but most of the populations are small and some are made up of only female individuals. The beargrass is a member of plant communities that are maintained by a natural fire regime. Periodic wildfire halts the encroachment of large and woody vegetation, preventing

ecological succession Ecological succession is the process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time. The time scale can be decades (for example, after a wildfire) or more or less. Bacteria allows for the cycling of nutrients such as ca ...

and keeping the canopy thin to allow sunlight to the herb layer below. These fire-maintained habitat types in Florida are largely degraded now because of a long-standing policy of fire suppression. They are overgrown, with thick canopies and a large amount of flammable organic buildup. Without fire, the beargrass does not grow well, its reproduction is inefficient, and its populations experience low

recruitment Recruitment is the overall process of identifying, sourcing, screening, shortlisting, and interviewing candidates for jobs (either permanent or temporary) within an organization. Recruitment also is the processes involved in choosing individual ...

. The beargrass flowers most profusely in the year following a fire. Many populations are located on privately owned land, and it is up to the landowner to decide whether or not to initiate

controlled burn A controlled or prescribed burn, also known as hazard reduction burning, backfire, swailing, or a burn-off, is a fire set intentionally for purposes of forest management, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. A control ...

s. Habitat is also being lost to development and to agricultural operations, particularly citrus groves.

Habitat fragmentation Habitat fragmentation describes the emergence of discontinuities (fragmentation) in an organism's preferred environment (habitat), causing population fragmentation and ecosystem decay. Causes of habitat fragmentation include geological processes ...

has occurred. However, the species likely always been sparse in widespread populations, even before human interference in the habitat, and conservation of remaining habitat fragments will probably be enough to maintain it. Prescribed burns should be part of this conservation plan. While it is rare in the wild, the beargrass is cultivated in plant nurseries.

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{{Taxonbar, from=Q291567 brittoniana Endemic flora of Florida