Hardiness zones
Sunset 11-13
USDA 8-10 (arid regions only)
Landscape Use: Specimen, accent, barrier, xeric or desert landscape
Form & Character: Large, evergreen xeric shrub, calescent, agave like, rounded, rigid.
Growth Habit: Slow, non-clumping, trunk to 7', flower spike to 15'.
Foliage/texture: Long, gray, twisting, strap like leaves with prominent marginal spines, leaf sheath is in form of spoon used by Native Americans as such, medium coarse texture.
Flowers & fruits: Dioecious, cream-colored flowers, plume-like, on 10- 15' stalk, plants will only flower after the 7-10 years and then will not flower every year thereafter. Flowering also results in cessation of terminal meristem and induction of usually a single upper lateral meristem. Unlike many agaves, desert spoon doesn't die after flowering. Flowers strongly attract bees.
Seasonal color: Flowers stalks in later spring to summer.
Temperature: Tolerant, some heat stress above 110oF.
Light: Full sun
Soil: Well drained
Watering: Somewhat drought tolerant, some watering during the summer is needed if sotol is planted in the lower desert urban landscapes, otherwise none. Its best to irrigate sparingly if at all during the winter. In the lower desert, sotol will typically show significant leaf marginal tip necrosis.
Pruning: Sotol plants do not naturally shed their leaves which are persistent and form a "skirt" much like Washingtonia robusta. With that in mind, the only pruning that a sotol ever needs is the removal of senescent leaves. Please, do not shear! Some landscape maintenance companies around the Phoenix area have tried this with the result being a ridiculous looking plant looking like Alfalfa of the Little Rascals since sotol has a single apical meristem. Another favorite pruning ploy is to create the 'pineapple look' by 'skinning' older leaves to the trunk much like is done when pruning local palms - the result is a landscape that has the look and feel of the Sunday morning comics!
Propagation: Usually propagated sexually by seed but germination and establishment are slow.
Disease and pests: Root rot might occur if soil is chronically wet
Additional comments: This is a plant that is often misused by landscape designers in the Phoenix area, arranged in plantings without space in which to grow and spread naturally. Container plants in the 5 gallon size are best for use as new landscape transplants. Leaves were used by Native Americans for thatching and baskets. An alcoholic beverage is extracted from trunk called 'sotol'.
Dasylirion acrotriche (also known as Dasylirion acrotrichum) is a green leaf species of
sotol which gives a slightly different accent effect.
Dasylirion
quadrangulatum (Mexican grass tree) has stiff, narrow green leaves with smooth margins,
more fine textured and wide spreading than others.
