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Sacahuista is an erect to spreading perennial shrub or large forb that forms clumps up to 6.6 feet (2 m) in diameter. Plants are acaulescent and have a large woody caudex. Variation in form and appearance can be substantial [19,25,36,55]. Numerous narrow leaves arise from the caudex. Leaves are fibrous, thick, coarse, and typically have serrate margins. Leaves measure 1.6 to 3.9 feet (0.5-1.2 m) long and 0.2 to 0.5 inch (5-12 mm) wide [20,25,41]. Southwestern Nolina species are primarily dioecious [24]. Flowers are arranged in a panicle and are supported by a stout stem that may reach 5.9 feet (1.8 m) tall [19,76]. Sacahuista produces thin, papery, 3-lobed, 3-seeded capsules. Capsules measure 4 to 6 mm long and 6 to 8 mm wide [19,41,76]. Seeds, which are 2 to 3.5 mm in diameter, are exposed only after fruits dehisce [19,55].
Some describe sacahuista as slow growing [34]. During a long-term grazing study in central Arizona chaparral, 2 sacahuista plants, 1 inside and 1 outside an exclosure, were monitored periodically from 1920 to 1967. By 1967 both plants were dead, suggesting that the sacahuista life span may be less than 50 years [54].
This description provides characteristics that may be relevant to fire ecology, and is not meant for identification. Keys for identification are available (e.g., [25,41,55,76]).
Fire adaptations: Sacahuista sprouts from the caudex following fire [21,69]. Postfire seedling establishment was not reported in the available literature (as of 2007).
FIRE REGIMES: Southwestern grasslands and woodlands that provide sacahuista habitat burned repeatedly in past centuries. Climatic conditions and fuel structure in these habitats are conducive to fire ignition and spread.
Research has shown that fire may affect sacahuista abundance, and that sacahuista may affect fire behavior and severity. Some researchers indicate that the range and density of sacahuista have increased on Arizona rangelands since 1900. Twenty percent or more kill of sacahuista after a fire in an oak-juniper woodland in the Santa Rita Mountains [34] suggests that fire restricts this slow growing species and that replacement of individuals would be slow if fires were recurring. See Discussion and Qualification of Plant Response for more on this study. Sacahuista's effect on fire behavior and severity was noted in the Chiricahua National Monument. Sacahuista reportedly "increases locally the fire intensity and flame height," and produces scorch and char heights that are "dramatically higher" on trees located above sacahuista plants [58].
Fire season: Fires in the Southwest are most common in late spring and early summer but are possible through the fall season. Lightning strikes occur from April to November but reach peak levels before the end of July. In National Forests of Arizona and New Mexico, 60% of the annual burned area burned in June lightning fires [6].
Fire frequency: Southwestern desert grasslands are thought to have burned repeatedly, and fire suppression efforts following European settlement are often associated with woody species increases and encroachment [31,32]. The fire frequency in Arizona grasslands before European settlement and heavy grazing in the area was estimated at 10 years [40], and Wright [81] indicates, in a review, that fires may have occurred at intervals of less than 10 years in southern New Mexico. Open oak woodlands in Santa Catalina Mountains dominated by Emory oak, Mexican blue oak, and alligator juniper easily carry fire, and woodland structure and composition are considered a result of fire and drought conditions [50].
Using newspaper reports of wildfires in southeastern Arizona, Bahre [4] summarized that fire size was greater from 1859 to 1890 than in the 1980s. From1859 to 1890, wildfires were fairly frequent and burned in all vegetation types. However, fires were twice as frequent in conifer forests and oak-juniper woodlands than in grasslands and 3 times as frequent in grasslands as in desert scrub communities. Occurrence of fires decreased after 1882 due in part to heavy grazing in the area that reduced fine fuels that carry fire [4].
Researchers determined the past fire regime for Chiricahua National Monument's Rhyolite Canyon from fire scars and living tree age structures. The canyon study area ranged from 5,381 to 7,313 feet (1,640-2,229 m). The mean fire-return interval for fires that burned most or all of the canyon was an estimated 14.6 years and ranged from 9 to 22 years for the 1655 to 1801 time period. After 1851, fires were recorded in the upper and middle portions of the canyon until 1886 when the last widespread fire was recorded. In the lower canyon, the fire-return interval decreased to 6 years from 1852 to 1924 [67].
The following table provides fire-return intervals for plant communities and ecosystems where sacahuista is important. Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under "Find FIRE REGIMES".
Community or Ecosystem Dominant Species Fire-Return Interval Range (years) desert grasslands Bouteloua eriopoda and/or Pleuraphis mutica <35 to <100 [51] plains grasslands Bouteloua spp. <35 [51,82] blue grama-needle-and-thread grass-western wheatgrass Bouteloua gracilis-Hesperostipa comata-Pascopyrum smithii <35 [51,59,82] blue grama-buffalo grass Bouteloua gracilis-Buchloe dactyloides <35 [51,82] grama-galleta steppe Bouteloua gracilis-Pleuraphis jamesii <35 to <100 [51] cheatgrass Bromus tectorum 52,77] paloverde-cactus shrub Cercidium spp./Opuntia spp. <35 to <100 pinyon-juniper Pinus-Juniperus spp. <35 [51] Mexican pinyon Pinus cembroides 20-70 [46,68] Colorado pinyon Pinus edulis 10-400+ [26,29,37,51] interior ponderosa pine* Pinus ponderosa var. scopulorum 2-30 [3,5,39] Arizona pine Pinus ponderosa var. arizonica 2-15 [5,18,61] oak-juniper woodland (Southwest) Quercus-Juniperus spp. <35 to <200 [51] *fire-return interval varies widely; trends in variation are noted in the species reviewMost studies of fire's effect on sacahuista report just early postfire survival and recovery and lack information on fire severity and/or intensity. A lack of fire severity comparisons, long-term fire studies, and studies on repeatedly burned sites leaves many gaps in the knowledge required to properly manage fire in sacahuista habitats.
Fuel moisture: The average moisture content was 110% and ranged from 101% to 117% for 4 sacahuista samples collected from the Chiricahua National Monument in November [58].
Sacahuista is typical on rocky slopes and hillsides in high desert grasslands and in oak or pinyon-juniper (Pinus-Juniperus spp.) woodlands [25,55,76].
In southeastern Arizona [47,75] and on the Guadalupe Escarpment of New Mexico and Texas [28], sacahuista is typically most important on moderate to steep north-facing slopes. In a study of vegetation and terrain in southeastern Arizona, Mouat [47] found that sacahuista was predominant on steep slopes with angles averaging over 45%. Sacahuista was also associated with hilly and mountainous terrain with a high density of drainages (generally, >6 mi/mi²).
Climate: Semiarid climates are common in sacahuista habitats. Climate is variable in Arizona chaparral. Dry sites average 16 inches (400 mm) of annual precipitation, and wet sites average 26 inches (650 mm) of annual precipitation. However, extreme lows and highs can be 7.9 inches (200 mm) and 47 inches (1,200 mm) for the respective sites. Moisture occurs in a bimodal pattern. Approximately 55% of annual precipitation comes from November to April and 35% from July to September in convection storms [15]. In western montane chaparral in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, the climate is cool semiarid. Average low and high temperatures are 52 °F (11 °C) and 62 °F (16.5 °C), respectively. Annual precipitation measures 30 to 39 inches (750-1,000 mm), and most comes from June to September [48].
Elevation: Sacahuista elevational tolerances by state or region are provided below:
State/region Elevation (feet) Arizona 3,000-6,500 [36] Mojave County 3,900 [19] southeastern Arizona most common from 4,000-6,000 [47] New Mexico 4,000-8,000 [41] New Mexico and Texas (Guadalupe Escarpment) most typical above 5,000 [28] Utah (Washington County) 3,900 [76]Soils: Shallow, rocky, unfertile soils are described for sacahuista habitats [53,75]. In southeastern Arizona, sacahuista occurs primarily on nonalluvial parent materials [47]. Emory oak/pointleaf manzanita-sacahuista vegetation on Fort Bowie National Historic Site occurs mainly on igneous or metamorphic rock substrates [75]. Shrub steppe vegetation dominated by sacahuista in New Mexico's Peloncillo Mountains occurs on coarse loamy Cumulic Haplustoll soils [45]. In the Santa Catalina Mountains of Arizona, sacahuista occurs on both limestone and noncalcareous soils [80]. In central New Mexico, sacahuista occurred on a recent lava flow (<1,000 years old) but not on surrounding plains [62].
Sacahuista provides a food source for deer and small mammals and is important in a variety of wildlife habitats. Livestock utilization of sacahuista is rare.
In chaparral vegetation in central Arizona's Sierra Ancha Experimental Forest, 2 sacahuista plants, 1 outside and the other inside the exclosure, were marked and evaluated 7 years later. The plant outside the exclosure was closely browsed, but the grazing animal was not identified [54].
Livestock: Sacahuista is rarely browsed by domestic livestock. Some indicate that sacahuista leaves are browsed in times of drought and/or when other forage is unavailable [33,36]. Sacahuista stands that are heavily browsed are an indication that stocking rates are too high [22,33].
Sacahuista buds, blooms, and seeds are toxic to domestic sheep [56]. Cattle are considered less susceptible to poisoning. In Agua Prieta, Sonora, sacahuista leaves that remain after processing plants for use in brooms are fed to local cattle. In this area ranchers encourage sacahuista harvesting on their land, as it encourages new growth that is palatable to cattle [49].
Deer: Southwestern mule and white-tailed deer utilize sacahuista and sacahuista habitats. In the San Cayetano and Dos Cabezas mountains of southeastern Arizona, researchers found that sacahuista was important in the diets and habitats of white-tailed and mule deer. Regardless of season and climatic conditions, sacahuista was ranked 7th in the 7 most important mule and white-tailed deer foods in the area. Consumption of sacahuista flower stalks increased in a drought year [1,2].
Sacahuista sprouts and buds averaged 6% of the volume of 11 mule deer stomachs analyzed in late spring in south-central Arizona's Three Bar Wildlife Area. The greatest volume of sacahuista per sample was 32%. Sacahuista was not recovered from white-tailed deer stomachs or from either species in any other season. Sacahuista frequency ranged from 0 to 30% in the chaparral and desert zones of the study area. Researchers found that sacahuista leaves in the late spring had protein levels of just 4% [42,73].
Small mammals: In paloverde-prickly-pear (Cercidium-Opuntia spp.) vegetation in the Sugarloaf Mountain area of Arizona's Maricopa County, stomachs of 96 desert cottontails were analyzed. Sacahuista occurred with an average frequency of 10.3% in stomachs collected between March 1972 and June 1973 [71].
Birds: Sacahuista is important in quail and wild turkey habitats. Sacahuista was a dominant species in Montezuma quail habitats in the eastern foothills in the Santa Rita Mountains and Canelo Hills southeast of Tucson. However, sacahuista was not recovered from crops [9]. The Emory oak-sacahuista-sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) habitat in the Peloncillo Mountains of New Mexico's Hidalgo County received use proportional to its availability by wild turkeys in the winter. Use was low in the spring, and 1 of 10 summer telemetry observations were made in this habitat [83].
Palatability/nutritional value: Dry weight composition of sacahuista collected in Arizona was 3.1% ash, 4.7% crude protein, 45% crude fiber, 2.2% fat, and 45% nitrogen-free extract [17]. Sacahuista leaves collected from Arizona chaparral in early May were 4% crude protein, 55% acid detergent fiber, 0.62% calcium, 0.16% phosphorus, and 26% invitro digestibility [74].
Cover value: Sacahuista is important in a variety of wildlife habitats and likely provides important cover for small mammal and bird species.
grama (Bouteloua spp.)/sacahuista vegetation type [47]
open oak woodlands dominated by Mexican blue oak (Quercus oblongifolia)
and Emory oak (Q. emoryi) [80]
oak (Quercus spp.)/sacahuista vegetation type [47]
encinal vegetation in the Santa Catalina Mountains [64]
Emory oak/pointleaf manzanita (Arctostaphylos pungens)-sacahuista
vegetation on the Fort Bowie National Historic Site [75]
pygmy conifer-oak communities in the Santa Catalina Mountains with an
overstory of Mexican pinyon (Pinus cembroides), alligator juniper (Juniperus deppeana), and/or
silverleaf oak (Q. hypoleucoides) [50,80]
pine-oak woodlands dominated by ponderosa pine (P. ponderosa),
Chihuahua pine (P. leiophylla var. chihuahuana), silverleaf oak,
and/or Arizona white oak (Q. arizonica) in the Santa Catalina Mountains [80]
Mexican pinyon-Arizona white oak/sacahuista woodlands (USFS cited in [44])
shrub steppe in Peloncillo Mountains [45]
oneseed juniper (J. monosperma)/sacahuista-lechuguilla (Agave lechuguilla) in
the Guadalupe and Sacramento mountains [66]
oneseed juniper-Colorado pinyon (P. edulis)
woodlands in Fort Bayard [43]
western montane chaparral [48]
Early southwestern inhabitants used sacahuista leaves to construct mats and baskets. Pueblo people of the Rio Grande valley constructed grain storage and washing baskets from sacahuista. Early people of southeastern New Mexico used sacahuista mats to cover their dead. Northeastern Yavapai used sacahuista to construct bed mats and to wrap foods for transport. Leaves were collected in bundles and typically worked with while still green [7]. Chiricahua and Mescalero Apache used sacahuista leaves to cover Parry's agave (Agave parryi) crowns while roasting and consumed emerging sacahuista flower stalks [16].
Sacahuista is still used today in weaving and in broom head construction [30]. Sacahuista is harvested by machete, taken to processing plants, and made into broom heads. Harvesting previously harvested stands is typically quicker and more fruitful, as there are fewer dead leaves and irregular-sized leaves. Ranchers typically encourage sacahuista harvesting on their land because new growth is considered more palatable. Harvesting sacahuista may also improve quail habitat and deer browse by removing dead plant material (Fitch, personal communication in [30]). Harvesting is illegal in some areas [49].
Sacahuista reproduces sexually through seed production and asexually by sprouting. Current literature (2007), however, neither elucidates the factors important to successful sacahuista seedling establishment nor discusses vegetative regeneration in the absence of disturbance.
Pollination: Nolina (Nolina spp.) flowers are insect pollinated, likely by Hymenoptera and/or Diptera species [70].
Breeding system: Nolina plants are primarily dioecious, but perfect flowers may occur [70].
Seed dispersal: Fruit carpels are slightly inflated and likely easily dispersed by wind [70].
Seed production, seed banking, germination, and seedling establishment information was lacking as of the writing of this review (2007). The single mention of sacahuista seedlings came from an early postfire study where researchers did not locate sacahuista seedlings on 1- to 14-month-old burned sites in spite of an extensive search [69].
Vegetative regeneration: Sacahuista sprouts from the caudex following fire. Vegetative regeneration in the absence of other disturbance was not discussed in the available literature.
The concept of succession, in which community composition changes over time as a site is modified by past and present species, is not appropriate for southwestern desert ecosystem dynamics. Desert plants have a limited effect on soil development, and late-seral vegetation that is well adapted to dry, stressful environments reestablishes following removal of the existing vegetation [60]. In Arizona chaparral, secondary succession following fire does not produce species composition changes but is rather a gradual return to prefire species dominance [15].
Studies of succession in sacahuista habitats are generally lacking. However, some researchers have associated sacahuista habitats with disturbance. Southwestern desert grasslands, where sacahuista is often an associate, have been described as a "fire-caused subclimax" community [31,32]. The sacahuista-scrub oak (Q. turbinella) community is considered a "postclimax" type that results from heavy grazing and erosion in blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) grasslands [79].
Nolina microcarpa ist eine Pflanzenart der Gattung Nolina in der Familie der Spargelgewächse (Asparagaceae). Ein englischer Trivialname ist „Sacahuista Beargrass“.
Nolina microcarpa wächst stammlos und bildet Horste von 1,2 bis 2 m Durchmesser. Die variablen, grasähnlichen, hellgrünen bis gelbfarbenen, konkave-konvexen, auf den Boden herabfallenden Laubblätter sind 60 bis 140 cm lang und 5 bis 12 mm breit. Die Blattränder sind gezähnt.
Der in den Blättern kurz verzweigte Blütenstand wird 0,3 bis 0,8 m lang. Die pinkfarbenen Blüten sind 1,5 bis 3,5 mm lang. Die Blühperiode liegt im Juni.
Die in der Reife holzigen, runden Kapselfrüchte sind 3 bis 5,5 mm im Durchmesser. Die braunen, kugelförmigen Samen sind 3 mm im Durchmesser.
Nolina microcarpa ist in Europa frosthart bis minus 20 °C. Sie ist kaum bekannt.
Nolina microcarpa ist in den US-Bundesstaaten Texas und New Mexico und in Mexiko in den Bundesstaaten Chihuahua und Sonora in Höhenlagen von 1000 bis 2000 m verbreitet. Sie wächst in Grasland, auf steinigem Boden auf flachen Hügeln und ist vergesellschaftet mit Yucca baccata und verschiedenen Kakteen-Arten.
Nolina microcarpa ist Mitglied der Sektion Microcarpae. Das Erscheinungsbild ähnelt der geographisch isolierten, auf Baja California vorkommenden Nolina palmeri, jedoch formt diese steifere und kürzere Blätter.
Die Erstbeschreibung erfolgte 1879 durch Sereno Watson.[1] Ein Synonym ist Beaucarnea microcarpa Baker.[2]
Typischer, oberhalb der Blätter verzweigter Blütenstand
Ausschnitt eines Blütenstandes
Nolina microcarpa ist eine Pflanzenart der Gattung Nolina in der Familie der Spargelgewächse (Asparagaceae). Ein englischer Trivialname ist „Sacahuista Beargrass“.
Nolina microcarpa is a species of flowering plant in the asparagus family known by the common names sacahuista and palmilla. Like other species of Nolina, it may be called beargrass. It is native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States in Arizona and New Mexico.[1] It does occur in the southwestern corner of Utah, where it has a limited distribution on Navajo Sandstone,[2] but reports of it occurring in Texas may be in error.[1][3]
Sacahuista is variable in appearance. In general it is a large plant that grows in clumps up to two meters wide. It produces a rosette of many narrow leaves each up to 130 centimetres (4.3 feet) long but only 1.2 centimetres (0.47 inches) wide. The grasslike leaf blades are thick, rough, and serrated. There is no aboveground stem; the leaves grow from a woody underground caudex. When the plant flowers it produces a scape up to 1.5 to 1.8 m (4.9 to 5.9 ft) tall.[1][3] The inflorescence is a panicle of flowers with tiny white tepals. The species is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants; occasionally there are flowers with both male and female parts functional. The fruit is a papery, three-sided capsule about half a centimeter long and wide.[1][3]
This plant grows in dry habitat types, such as desert grasslands, pinyon-juniper woodlands, and chaparral. It is a dominant plant species in a number of ecosystems. It may grow alongside oaks, pines, and manzanitas. The region experiences a bimodal pattern of precipitation, with rainy seasons occurring in November through April and again during the summer. Wildfire is not uncommon. The plant resprouts from its caudex after its aboveground parts burn. Sacahuista herbage is flammable, increasing the local intensity of fires when it ignites.[3]
Sacahuista provides food for animals such as white-tailed deer.[3] However, it is poisonous to sheep and goats, and less so to cattle. Sheep fed parts of the plant have been noted to experience impaction of the rumen and liver toxicity. In an experimental setting the plant also appears to be toxic to rats and chukar partridges, resulting in symptoms such as loss of coordination and diarrhea when the seeds were ingested.[4] Humans can eat the plant. Native American groups have eaten the fruit, used the stalks as a vegetable, and ground the seeds into flour for bread. The plant has also been used for thatching, mats, basketry, brushes, rope, and cooking tools.[5] Today it is used for landscaping in appropriate climates.[6]
Nolina microcarpa is a species of flowering plant in the asparagus family known by the common names sacahuista and palmilla. Like other species of Nolina, it may be called beargrass. It is native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States in Arizona and New Mexico. It does occur in the southwestern corner of Utah, where it has a limited distribution on Navajo Sandstone, but reports of it occurring in Texas may be in error.
Sacahuista is variable in appearance. In general it is a large plant that grows in clumps up to two meters wide. It produces a rosette of many narrow leaves each up to 130 centimetres (4.3 feet) long but only 1.2 centimetres (0.47 inches) wide. The grasslike leaf blades are thick, rough, and serrated. There is no aboveground stem; the leaves grow from a woody underground caudex. When the plant flowers it produces a scape up to 1.5 to 1.8 m (4.9 to 5.9 ft) tall. The inflorescence is a panicle of flowers with tiny white tepals. The species is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants; occasionally there are flowers with both male and female parts functional. The fruit is a papery, three-sided capsule about half a centimeter long and wide.
This plant grows in dry habitat types, such as desert grasslands, pinyon-juniper woodlands, and chaparral. It is a dominant plant species in a number of ecosystems. It may grow alongside oaks, pines, and manzanitas. The region experiences a bimodal pattern of precipitation, with rainy seasons occurring in November through April and again during the summer. Wildfire is not uncommon. The plant resprouts from its caudex after its aboveground parts burn. Sacahuista herbage is flammable, increasing the local intensity of fires when it ignites.
Sacahuista provides food for animals such as white-tailed deer. However, it is poisonous to sheep and goats, and less so to cattle. Sheep fed parts of the plant have been noted to experience impaction of the rumen and liver toxicity. In an experimental setting the plant also appears to be toxic to rats and chukar partridges, resulting in symptoms such as loss of coordination and diarrhea when the seeds were ingested. Humans can eat the plant. Native American groups have eaten the fruit, used the stalks as a vegetable, and ground the seeds into flour for bread. The plant has also been used for thatching, mats, basketry, brushes, rope, and cooking tools. Today it is used for landscaping in appropriate climates.
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Nolina microcarpa es una especie de planta con rizoma perteneciente a la familia de las asparagáceas. Es originaria de Norteamérica.
Es una planta casi sin tallo, cespitosa, qur forma rosetas verticales, con caudices subterráneos, ramificados. Las hojas hirsutas, laxas, cóncavo-convexas, de 80-130 cm de longitud y 5-12 mm de ancho, glaucas, con los márgenes serrados y dientes cartilaginosos muy juntos; ápice lacerado. El escapo de 3-15 dm, 1.2-2.5 cm de diámetro. Inflorescencias paniculadas, de 4-12 dm × 10-30 cm, sobrepasando las hojas, brácteas caducas, rara vez persistentes. Las flores con los pétalos blancos. Los frutos en forma de cápsulas hialina, de pared delgada, inflada, con las semillas comprimidas.[1]
La floración se produce a finales de la primavera. Se encuentra en las laderas rocosas, los pastizales del desierto, bosques de roble y pino piñonero y enebro, a una altitud de 900 - 1900 metros en Arizona, Nuevo México y en México.
Nolina microcarpa fue descrita por Sereno Watson y publicado en Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 14: 247, en el año 1879.[2]
El número cromosomático es de: 2n = 38.
Nolina: nombre genérico otorgado en honor del botánico francés Abbé P. C. Nolin, coautor del trabajo publicado 1755 Essai sur l'agricultura moderne.
microcarpa: epíteto latíno que significa "con semillas pequeñas".[3]
Nolina microcarpa es una especie de planta con rizoma perteneciente a la familia de las asparagáceas. Es originaria de Norteamérica.
Nolina microcarpa est une espèce végétale de la famille des Asparagaceae. Elle pousse sur les flancs rocailleux des collines ou les steppes désertiques du sud-ouest des États-Unis (Arizona, Nouveau-Mexique) et du nord du Mexique, entre 900 et 1900 m d'altitude[2].
Nolina microcarpa est une espèce végétale de la famille des Asparagaceae. Elle pousse sur les flancs rocailleux des collines ou les steppes désertiques du sud-ouest des États-Unis (Arizona, Nouveau-Mexique) et du nord du Mexique, entre 900 et 1900 m d'altitude.
Nolina microcarpa là một loài thực vật có hoa trong họ Măng tây. Loài này được S.Watson mô tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1879.[1]
Bài viết liên quan phân họ thực vật Nolinoideae này vẫn còn sơ khai. Bạn có thể giúp Wikipedia bằng cách mở rộng nội dung để bài được hoàn chỉnh hơn. Nolina microcarpa là một loài thực vật có hoa trong họ Măng tây. Loài này được S.Watson mô tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1879.
