Nemastylis, commonly known as pleatleaf, is a small genus of flowering plants in the iris family (Iridaceae), placed within the order Asparagales. The genus was first described in 1835 and contains around four to six accepted species.
Plants in this genus are native to Mexico, Central America, and the southern United States, occupying a range that stretches from Florida and Texas north to Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri, and south through Guatemala and Honduras to the Mexican state of Jalisco. Like many members of Iridaceae, they grow from corms and produce slender, grass-like foliage with characteristic pleated leaves — a trait reflected in the common name "pleatleaf."
The flowers are ephemeral and typically blue to violet, opening for only a single day, a feature shared with several related genera in the family. The genus name is derived from the Greek nema ("thread") and stylos ("pillar" or "rod"), likely referring to the thread-like style branches visible in the flower.
Notable members include Nemastylis geminiflora, the prairie pleatleaf of the south-central United States; Nemastylis floridana, restricted to Florida; Nemastylis tenuis, which ranges from the southwestern United States into Central America; and Nemastylis selidandra of Texas.
Etymology
The genus name Nemastylis is derived from the Greek words nema, meaning "thread," and stylos, meaning "pillar" or "rod," likely an allusion to the slender, thread-like style branches of the flower.
Distribution
Nemastylis is native to the southern United States (Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Arizona), Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. Individual species have narrow ranges: N. floridana is confined to Florida, while N. tenuis has the widest distribution, extending from Texas and Arizona south through Central America.
