What is Hesperocallis?
{{Taxobox | image = Hesperocallis_undulata.jpg | image_width = 210px | name = ''Hesperocallis'' | regnum = [[Plant]]ae | ordo = [[Asparagales]] | familia = Agavaceae | genus = '''''Hesperocallis''''' | genus_authority = [[Asa Gray|A.Gray]], 1868 | species = '''''H. undulata''''' | binomial = ''Hesperocallis undulata'' | binomial_authority = A.Gray, 1868 }} '''''Hesperocallis''''' is a [[genus]] of [[flowering plant]]s that includes a single species, '''''Hesperocallis undulata''''', the '''desert lily''', found in the desert areas of the southwest of North America. ''Hesperocallis'' has traditionally been classified in [[Liliaceae]] but until recently its relationships have been unclear. Other classifications have included it in [[Hemerocallidaceae]] or [[Funkiaceae]]. In 1972, Hamilton Traub created the family Hesperocallidaceae with ''Hesperocallis'' as the sole included genus. The [[APG II system]] includes it in the family [[Asparagaceae]] in the order [[Asparagales]] in the [[monocots]] clade but allows for the optional segregation of Hesperocallidaceae as a monophyletic family when several other families are likewise segregated. Recent molecular systematic studies have confirmed a close relationship with ''[[Agave]]'' and its inclusion in family [[Agavaceae]] has been recommended (Pires et al. 2004). {{Biology-stub}} [[Category:Agavaceae| Hesperocallidaceae]]