About Beaucarnea gracilis Lem.
Beaucarnea gracilis Lem. is a species of flowering plant in the Asparagaceae family. It is native to Puebla and northern Oaxaca in Mexico, where it is endemic to the Tehuacán Valley matorral. It grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome. This is an arborescent species that can form large trees over time. Its stem is enormously swollen at the base, circular in cross-section, with modest branching, and grows up to 12 meters tall. The specific name gracilis means thin, which is presumed to refer to the plant's leaves. Like the leaves of Beaucarnea recurvata, those of B. gracilis are long and thin, measuring 30 to 60 cm long and 4 to 7 mm wide. Unlike B. recurvata, this species' leaves are erect, very glaucous, and have margins that are minutely but sharply roughened. As with many species in the genus Beaucarnea, B. gracilis has been placed in other genera in the past: it was published as Nolina gracilis and later as Dasylirion gracile. However, modern research supports recognizing Beaucarnea as a distinct genus, and Beaucarnea gracilis is currently accepted as a valid species of this genus.
