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Dasylirion texanum Scheele Texas sotol, green sotol, sotol
Texas sotol is aptly named, confined to southern and western Texas and part of northern Mexico. "Sotol" is the Spanish name for "desert spoon," a related plant, Dasylirion wheeleri; it is also the name for a distilled spirit made from the baked and fermented bulbs of this plant. Depending upon where you look, sotols are a member of family Asparagaceae or Liliaceae. Identification: Texas sotol has a rounded base of stiff, light green, grasslike leaves, each only ½" (1.3 cm) wide and up to 3' (91 cm) long. Grasslike in shape, that is: the leaves have sharp spines along their margins. The base of each plant looks similar enough to yuccas so they are often confused for yuccas. Extending upward 9-15' (2.7-4.6 m) is a striking flower stalk, the top 24-36" (60-91 cm) of which are yellow (or white?) flowers. Male flowers appear on separate plants than do female flowers, making Texas sotol dioecious. Online References:
The Texas AgriLife Extension Service and Texas A&M University, Texas A&M System The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants
Dasylirion texanum description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.
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8/30/2014 · Walatowa Visitor Center, Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico
1/15/1996 · Fort Davis, Texas · By Constance B. Kent
1/15/1996 · Fort Davis, Texas · By Constance B. Kent Range: Zones 8b-10:
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