Hesperoyucca whipplei (Torrey) Trelease

Chaparral Candle
Agavaceae

[Plants of San Diego County HOME]

Protologue: Rep. (Annual) Missouri Bot. Gard. 4: 208 (1893)
Pronunciation: Hes-per-o-yúc-ca whíp-ple-i
Etymology: Gr. hesperos, western + yucca, a Haitian name for manihot + A.W. Whipple, 1817-1863
See: Klarey (2001) Sida 19: 839 – 847.

Jepson eFlora Treatment

SD County Synoptic Voucher: 1, 2 

Distribution:
 
Left: S.D. County Plant Atlas (http://sdplantatlas.org). Right: CCH2. Click to see current herbarium records.  


Hesperoyucca whipplei
Leaves are basal, acicular, spine tipped.
Vegetative stem is an acaulescent scape. Only the stalk of the inflorescence (a panicle) is above ground.
Right: Plant following fire.

Hesperoyucca whipplei
Flower close-up. P 3+3  A 6  G(3), superior
Flowers are pollinated by the yucca wasp Tegeticula maculata, a species different from others in the genus that visit Yucca spp..
See: Clary, K. H. 2001. The genus Hesperoyucca (Agavaceae) in the western United States and Mexico: new nomenclatural combinations. Sida 19: 839-847.


Hesperoyucca whipplei
Fruits (left), a 3-valved capsule; with seeds removed (right), the seeds lenticular, black, encrusted with phytomelan (typical of Asparagales)