Nolina recurvata
Dasylirion recurvatum
Beaucarnea recurvata Lem. Ponytail palm, elephant’s foot palm, bottle palm
The ponytail palm is not a true palm, though it is easy to understand why it is often mistaken for one. It is native to South Africa and central and southeastern Mexico. Plants: Reaches 20-33' (6-10 m) in height, with a trunk 8-16" (20-40 cm) in diameter. Its caudex, a swelling at the base of the plant, stores water, and is the reason for the name “elephant’s foot palm.” Leaves: Evergreen, linear, strap-shaped, 20-71" (50-180 cm) × ½-⅞" (1.5-2.5 cm), with finely serrated edges. The caudex can be as large as 9½' (3 m) in diameter. Flowers: Only older trees (more than ten years old) produce flowers, which appear on large showy panicles 30-43" (75-110 cm) long. The panicles are large, but the flowers are tiny, ¹/₃₂" (1.5 mm) in diameter. They are greenish-white, with six tepals. Fruits: Capsules about ⅜" (1.2 cm) long. Edibility: Poisonous Online References:
Dr. Giuseppe Mazza's PhotoMazza.com site 8/31/2013 · Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond, Virginia 4/10/2015 · Naples Botanical Garden, Naples, Florida 4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland Nolina recurvata Dasylirion recurvatum
Beaucarnea recurvata description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020. © FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved. |
4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland 8/31/2013 · Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond, Virginia 4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland 4/10/2015 · Naples Botanical Garden, Naples, Florida Range: Zones 9-11:
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