Nolina

A genus of plants related to the Yuccas.

Nolina beldingii
A slow growing, yucca-like tree, reaching a maximum height of 25 feet, that is native to the Baja Peninsula.
The grass-like leaves, up to 36 x 0.7 inches, are blue-green.
Hardy zones 8 to 11 ( tolerating as low as 3 F ) in full sun on well drained soil.

Nolina bigelovii ( Bigelow's Bear Grass )
Reaching a maximum size of 13 x 8 feet, it is native to California to Nevada to Arizona; south into Mexico. Older plants develop multiple trunks. It makes a great accent or screen.
The leaves, up to 60 x 2 ( rarely over 48 x 1.3 ) inches, are blue-green.
The greenish-white flowers are borne on plumes up to 5 feet in length.
Hardy zones 8b to 10 ( tolerating as low as 10 F ) in full sun to partial shade on light, very well drained soil. It is extremely heat and drought tolerant. Plant while small as it does not enjoy transplanting.

Nolina brittoniana ( Britton's Beargrass )
A perennial native to sandy pine-oak scrub in central Florida. It does not form a trunk. It is endangered in the wild.
The strap-shaped leaves, up to 40 x 0.3 inches in size, are mid-green.
The flower spike is up to 4 feet in height.
Hardy zones 8 to 9b ( possibly lower ) in full sun on sandy, well drained soil.

* photo taken @ U.S. Botanical Garden, Wash., DC on Aug 25 2014

* photo of unknown internet source

Nolina georgiana ( Georgia Beargrass )
Clumping and Yucca-like, reaching up to 3 x 4 feet, that is native to the sandy pine flatlands and turkey oak savanna in the southeastern U.S. ( from central Tennessee to central South Carolina; south to Mississippi to central Georgia ). It is endangered in the wild.
The serrate-edged, narrow, strap-shaped leaves, up to 50 x 0.3 inches in size, are blue-green.
The white flowers are borne on an upright spike up to 4.5 feet tall.
Hardy zones 7 to 9 in full sun on sandy, well drained soil.

* photo taken @ U.S. Botanical Garden, Wash., DC on Aug 25 2014

* photos taken on Aug 24 2017 @ U.S. Botanic Garden, Wash. DC.

Nolina lindheimeri ( Lindheimer's Nolina )
Clumping and Yucca-like, reaching up to 3 x 4 feet, that is native to open woods and limestone bluffs in central Texas hill country.
The narrow, strap-shaped leaves, up to 40 x 0.5 inches in size, are blue-green.
The creamy-white flowers are borne on upright spikes up to 5 feet high during early summer.
Hardy zones 6 to 10 ( possibly even 5b on protected sites ) in full sun to partial shade on well drained soil. It is extremely drought tolerant.

* photo taken @ U.S. Botanical Garden, Wash., DC on Aug 25 2014

* photo taken on Aug 24 2017 @ U.S. Botanic Garden, Wash. DC.

Nolina longifolia ( Oaxacan Tree Nolina )
A slow growing, mop-head small tree, reaching up to 10 x 6 feet, that is native to pine-oak cloud forests in mountains in Oaxaca state in Mexico. The trunk is swollen at the base and the bark is deeply fissured.
The blue-green, strap-shaped leaves are up to 7 feet in length.
The abundant, small, creamy-white flowers are borne on a spike up to 4 feet in length.
Hardy zones 8 to 11 ( possibly 7 or lower ) in full sun on well drained soil. It is very drought tolerant.

* photo of unknown internet source

Nolina matapensis ( Sonoran Tree Bear Grass )
A large evergreen, reaching a maximum size of 25 x 6 feet, that is native to the Sonoran Desert in northern Mexico. Slow growing, it grows at a rate of only 4 inches per year.
The leaves, up to 60 x 0.5 inches, are deep blue-green.
Hardy zones 8 to 10 ( tolerating as low as 5 F ) in full sun on sandy, well drained soil. It is very tolerant of heat and drought.

Nolina microcarpa ( Sacahuista )
A fast growing, evergreen clumping perennial, reaching up to 8 x 8 feet, that is native to southwest Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and northern Arizona. It is found in desert grassland in pine-oak mountain woods in the wild.
The serrate-edged, strap-shaped leaves are up to 52 x 0.5 inches in size.
The golden-brown flowers are borne on spikes up to 8 feet high.
Hardy zones 6 to 10 in full sun on light, well drained soil.
Drought tolerant. Rabbit and deer resistant.

Nolina nelsonii ( Blue Beargrass Tree )
An extremely beautiful tree, reaching a maximum size of 25 x 8 feet, it is native to the Tamaulipas, Mexico. Older trees develop multiple trunks. It can form a clump up to 5 x 5 feet in just 3 years.
The very sharp-edged, strap-shaped leaves, up to 48 x 1.5 inches, are blue-green.
Hardy zones 7b to 10 ( tolerating as low as 0 F ) in full sun on well drained soil. Extremely heat tolerant. Deer resistant as are all Nolina.

Nolina parryi ( Parry's Nolina )
A clumping, evergreen, large shrub, reaching a maximum size of 10 x 15 ( usually under 5 x 6 ) feet, that is native to southern California to northwest Arizona.
The narrow leaves, up to 4.5 feet x 1.6 inches in size, are gray-green.
Thousands of creamy-white flowers are borne on a showy tall spikes, up to 8 feet high, during early summer. They persist for about 4 weeks.
Hardy zones 7b to 11 ( use inland mountain seed source only in 7b & 8 ) in full sun on light, well drained soil. Deer resistant as are all Nolina.

* Work of the National Park Service - Public Domain

Nolina texana ( Texas Sacahuista )
A woody-based, evergreen perennial, reaching up to 3 x 6 feet, that is native from south-central Colorado to western Oklahoma; south to southeast Arizona to central Texas. It is great in a large container or used as a focal point.
The leathery leaves are long and narrow.
The tiny creamy-white flowers are borne on clusters that barely reach above the foliage during mid to late spring.
Hardy zones 5 to 9 in partial shade ( full sun on moist sites only ) on just about any well drained soil. Deer resistant and a great plant for using in dry shade.

* photo taken on Aug 24 2017 @ U.S. Botanic Garden, Wash. DC.

* photo taken on Oct 23 2024 @ U.S. National Arboretum, Wash, DC

* photo taken by Clarence A. Rechenthin @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

* historical archive photo