The flowers are followed by small reddish or brown seed capsules. It is very similar to Beargrass and grows in the same habitat. Its attractive evergreen succulent forms a large rosette of toothed blue-green leaves that beautifies the landscape year-round. Mature plants are 2-3 feet all around, forming a flower spike up to 14 feet. Desert Spoon develops a stout, short trunk with leathery leaves that have teeth along the margins. Agavaceae. ... spiny, blue-gray leaves form a dense rosette at the top of the stem. Dasylirion is a compound word from the Greek, literally meaning “dense” or “shaggy” + “lily”. It was also used by the natives of the region for food and fiber. It is a bit of a challenge in the garden as its teeth along the leaf margins are sharp and will grab clothing and skin so keep away from pathways and wear leather gloves when trimming or pulling older leaves. The common name refers to the ends of the leaf blades which form a spoon shape when torn off the trunk. This species is native to Arizona and northern Mexico. Dasylirion wheeleri. The stem is topped by a long plume of straw-colored small flowers about 2.5 cm long with six tepals. The leaves can reach 5 ft. in length (150 cm) and are adorned with golden spines along their margins. Leaves are effectively armed with tiny little toothed barbs along the leaf margin. Dasylirion wheeleri (desert spoon, spoon flower, sotol, or common sotol) is a species of flowering plant in the asparagus family Asparagaceae, native to arid environments of northern Mexico, in Chihuahua and Sonora and in the southwestern United States, in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, and also in New Mexico and Texas. Bloom Color Family. Desert Spoon or Sotol (Dasylirion wheeleri) is a long-lived native of the native Chihuahuan desert. The leaf blade is slender, 35–100 cm long, gray-green, with a toothed margin. Dasylirion wheeleri sport flat, elongated leaves. The leaves are a blue-gray and 3 feet long. One of these low water usage plants is the Dasylirion wheeleri also known by its common name as the (Wheeler Sotol). 1963. Dasylirion wheeleri is an evergreen and succulent plant, preferring well-drained and dry soil, making it a popular accent plant and an attractive and friendly addition to yards with a swimming pool or patios. It resembles a pineapple. These leaf bases remain on the trunk giving it a rough appearance. The individual flowers are tiny and have 6 petal-like segments. Dasylirion wheeleri. Barbs lining the margins of the thick pale green leaves give Dasylirion another common name, sawtooth These truly striking plants are native to the southern United States and Mexico, closely resembling both Yucca s and Agave s. They are found in very arid lands, along dry washes and on rocky … Dasylirion wheeleri (Desert Spoon) Dasylirion wheeleri (Desert Spoon) is a very ornamental evergreen succulent boasting a perfectly symmetrical rosette packed with hundreds of long, narrow, silvery blue-green leaves tipped with white fibers. The Latin specific epithet wheeleri refers to the American surveyor and plant collector George Montague Wheeler (1842-1905).[1]. As it does not tolerate extended frosts, in temperate regions it is usually grown under glass. Dasylirion leiophyllum – One of the smaller sotol plants at only 3 feet (.91 m.) tall. The leaves are tough and leathery, linear, grayish-green, 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide, and have curved teeth along the margins. This evergreen succulent shows off its large rosette of serrated blue to grayish-green leaves radiating out in a circular axis from the tall stem. Pennington, CW. The spoon-shaped base gives this plant its name. However the hundreds of long, narrow leaves of Desert Spoon are armed with small, sharp, marginal teeth. [4], The Tarahumara and Pima Bajo peoples of the Sierra Madre Occidental of Chihuahua weave baskets from the leaves after they strip off the spines from the leaf margins. The 3 foot long narrow leaves are blue-gray color with sharp serrated margins and a spoon shaped base that gives the plant one of its common name. The Dasylirion wheeleri, known as the spoon flower has grown an average of a foot a day since its initial spurt at Kew Gardens and is still growing, meaning it could shoot up another 10 feet. After flowering the rosette branches at the base of the inflorescence to replace the flowering rosette and enabling the stem to continue to grow on. This plant inhabits rocky hillsides and grasslands from 3,000 to 6,000 feet in southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico west Texas and south into Sonora Mexico. Leaves take on a beautiful silver-green to bluish green color. 3-5 ft. tall x 4-6 ft. wide. Dasylirion wheeleri (Spoon Yucca) - An evergreen long lived plant with long, gray strap-shaped serrated leaves on a stout short trunk that can rise 4 to 6 feet and the spread can be about the same. Light Requirements. D. wheeleri is grown as an ornamental plant, valued in xeriscaping. Dasylirion wheeleri is deer and rodent resistant. An exciting, drought tolerant, evergreen specimen for large containers, or to accent a x Dasylirion wheeleri. Dasylirion is one of the plants I call a southwest evergreen. Dasylirion wheeleri (Desert Spoon) is a very ornamental evergreen succulent boasting a perfectly symmetrical rosette packed with hundreds of long, narrow, silvery blue-green leaves tipped with white fibers. Thanks to May's late spring rain and June's early summer heatwave, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has seen a surge in desert plants blooming across their four glorious gardens.. Over at the RHS Garden Hyde Hall, a Dasylirion wheeleri has produced a three-metre-tall flower spike for the first time ever. Dasylirion wheeleri holds on to its old leaves making a shaggy skirt. Twisting, curling, ribbon-like, blue-green foliage adds texture to the landscape. Full sun. Dasylirion longissimum leaf bases 'quadrangular' shape of leaves typical necrotic (dried out) leaf tips Dasylirion wheeleri (Desert Spoon or Common or Blue Sotol) is probably the second most commonly grown species in cultivation. Kiva 57:27-38. Common Name: Desert Spoon Description: Dasylirion wheeleri, commonly known as Desert Spoon is a modern-art optical treat of beautiful blue-grey leaves radiating perfectly straight out from the center with a soft little curl at the very end. Dasylirion wheeleri is a moderate to slow-growing evergreen shrub with a single unbranched trunk up to 40 cm (16 in) thick growing to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) tall, though often recumbent on the ground. Desert spoon, common sotol or the sotol plant (Dasylirion wheeleri) is a long-lived native of the Chiahuahuan Desert of northern Mexico. Plant use in Mountain Pima holiday decorations. Positive: On Jul 25, 2003, palmbob from Acton, CA (Zone 8b) wrote: This species of Dasylirion is a little more commonly grown in southern California (U.S.) as specimen plants or additions to xeriscapes. When it blooms, you will enjoy white or pink flowers. The leaves radiate from the center of the plant's apex in all directions (spherical). Dasylirion wheeleri (Spoon Yucca) - An evergreen long lived plant with long, gray strap-shaped serrated leaves on a stout short trunk that can rise 4 to 6 feet and the spread can be about the same. This particular plant is very much at home within the Southwest. Once the plant is mature, it blooms with a pole-like flower stalk. Dasylirion - From the Greek dasys (thick) and lirion (lily), referring to the thick stems and lily-like flowers: wheeleri: Peperomia wheeleri is named for William Morton Wheeler, 1865-1937, American entomologist, myrmecologist and Harvard professor, especially known for his work in ants. Cold Hardiness. The flowering stem grows above the foliage, to a height of 5 m (16 ft) tall, and 3 cm in diameter. Flowering occurs only every few years with tiny pale brownish greenish male or female flowers (this is a dioecious plant bearing flowers of one sex or the other) on stout spikes 10 to 15 feet tall from the center of the leaf rosette in early summer. Over many years, it forms a trunk and can reach 5 feet tall, although the trunk often lies recumbent on the ground. The bell-shaped white flowers are actually very small, but are clustered on a tall inflorescence that grows 8'-12' tall. Dasylirion wheeleri (Spoon Yucca) - An evergreen long lived plant with long, gray strap-shaped serrated leaves on a stout short trunk that can rise 4 to 6 feet and the spread can be about the same. It grows in limestone or granite hillsides in the Trans-Pecos and adjacent Mexico, north to New Mexico and Arizona. The yucca-like Desert Spoon (Dasylirion wheeleri) is also known as Sotol. It is best planted in full sun. Leaves are not pointed but rather more frayed looking.Dasylirion texanum – A native of Texas. Other common names include Desert Spoon, Nolina, Beargrass, yuca, sotol (means palm) saño and palmita. General Care for Dasylirion Wheeleri ‘Sotol Plant’ This succulent type is a rare one which blooms in the spring. Moisture Requirements. ABBREVIATION: DASWHE SYNONYMS: NO-ENTRY SCS PLANT CODE: DAWH2 COMMON NAMES: common sotol desert spoon spoon-flower spoon-leaf Wheeler sotol TAXONOMY: The currently accepted scientific name of common sotol is Dasylirion wheeleri S. Wats. The Southwest has many low water usage plants. It is a nice addition to your collection of plants especially if you have it displayed in a beautiful pot. It is the state drink of the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Durango, and Coahuila. The rosettes of leaves are usually stemless and up to 6 feet in diameter. Dasylirion wheeleri is also great in xeriscapes and large succulent and cactus gardens. Eventually, trunks can reach about five feet tall or more. Slender flower stalks of white flowers can grow to ten feet long or more. In recent classification systems, it is listed as belonging to the subfamily Nolinoideae within the Asparagus Family (Asparagaceae), but family groupings among the monocots have gone through multiple rearrangements. The rosette sits on a stout short trunk. Details D. wheeleri is a tender evergreen tree to 6m, with a dense tuft of narrow, silvery glaucous leaves, the margins with hooked reddish spines; small white flowers are borne in summer on inflorescences to 4m in height Plant range USA Mexico University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dasylirion_wheeleri&oldid=984885298, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 22 October 2020, at 17:56. The fruit is an oval dry capsule 5–8 mm long, containing a single seed. The Sotol Plant (Dasylirion wheeleri) belongs to the family Asparagaceae. Dasylirion wheeleri Inappropriately named, the Blue Sotol Yucca is a member of the Lily Family. Different in appearance from traditional evergreen shrubs, it fulfills the same purpose in native and xeric landscapes. Dasylirion is a genus that is not often encountered in cultivation in this country, because the plants are generally large-growing and hence not readily accommodated in pots in our usually smallish greenhouses. Dasylirion wheeleri leaves. Plant in full sun. The 3 foot long narrow leaves are blue-gray color with sharp serrated margins and a spoon shaped base that gives the plant one of its common name. Desert spoon will eventually produce a narrow, tall spike of small tan flowers. The leaves are in an attractive basal rosette. Leaves color green gray, the leaves are narrow and leaves grow in rosettes structure leaves sharp in the spear shape with spiny margin and create ball shape, the leaves break little bit in the edge to fibers and looks like hairs. The color of the flower determinate the gender of the plant, being mostly white colored for males and purple-pink for females. This plant blooms in June with large spikes (10-15 feet tall) of white bell-shaped flowers. The plants are drought tolerant or xerophytic rather than true succulents. Jerrod Tyrell Greeman, Agro / Hort 100G Spring 2002. Despite this, it is a tough and durable Texas native that makes a fine addition in any Texas landscape. Petiole base is shaped like a spoon ("Common Desert Spoon," "Desert Spoon" and "Spoon Flower"). 1991. White. Greenish yellow foliage and reddish brown teeth. Dasylirion wheeleri (Spoon Yucca) is an evergreen succulent with long gray slender serrated leaves. The genus has long been included in the Agave family (Agavaceae) but is now considered to be in the Nolinaceae family with Nolina and Beaucarnea. Arid dry. common sotol This is a slow-growing shrubby plant with an unbranched woody stalk. Dasylirion is a small genus made of 18 semi-succulent species that grow in the porous and fast-draining soil of dry washes, arid lands and rocky hillsides. [ 7, 10, 21 ]. The Tarahumar of Mexico, their material culture. The name for the genus comes from the Greek words 'dasys', meaning "dense" , "rough" or "shaggy" and 'lirion' meaning "lily" likely in reference to the long rough leaves. The flower spike can reach a height of 10 to 15 feet. The 3 foot long narrow leaves are blue-gray color with sharp serrated margins and a spoon shaped base that gives the plant one of its common name. LIFE FORM: Shrub FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS: No special status OTHER STATUS: NO-ENTRY Dasylirion is a genus of 20 or so species native to Mexico and the southwestern US (Wikipedia lists 22 species). Flower. Symmetrical rosette of narrow leaf blades or leaves emanating from the center of the rosette. The leaves can reach 5 ft. in length (150 cm) and are adorned with golden spines along their margins. Its flower stalk can be used as a fire plow. Margins are toothed, closely resembling a saw blade. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[2][3]. Blades are approximately 2 - 3.5 feet long. The leaf ends tend to become frizzy, adding an overall hazy texture to the plant. They also employ the expanded leaf bases in making large artificial flowers as holiday decorations.[5][6]. Desert spoon has a dense rosette of graceful, attractive blue-green leaves and a short, woody trunk. Extremely heat tolerant. Leaf margins are lined with fine thorns that meet at the base to form a small spoon. Laferrière, Joseph E., & Willard Van Asdall. Dasylirion is a small genus of 18 semi-succulent species. The specific epithet honors Lieutenant George M. Wheeler who lead a geographical and geological survey of the Western US. Dasylirion wheeleri (desert spoon, spoon flower, sotol, or common sotol) is a species of flowering plant in the asparagus family Asparagaceae, native to arid environments of northern Mexico, in Chihuahua and Sonora and in the southwestern United States, in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, and also in New Mexico and Texas. The agave-like plant is a common sight in Mexico (where it is also … Flowering occurs only every few years with tiny flowers that grow in late spring to sum… Dasylirion wheeleri is an evergreen, long-lived plant with long, gray, strap-shaped, serrated leaves on a stout, short trunk that can rise up to 6 feet (1.8 m) and the spread can be about the same. Dasylirion wheeleri . The alcoholic drink sotol, the northern cousin to tequila and mezcal, is made from the fermented inner cores of the desert spoon. It is drought tolerant and hardy to 0 degrees F. Though flowering is not a regular occurrence the flowers are interesting and attract bees, butterflies and other insects to the garden. Common Name: Desert Spoon Mature Height: 3-4' Mature Spread: 3-4' Exposure: Sun Growth: Evergreen Flower Color: Creamy/White Soil: Well drained best Foliage Color: It forms a trunk and can reach 5 ft. in length ( 150 cm ) and are with! 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