|
Dasylirion wheeleri S. Watson Sotol, desert spoon
Common sotol is native to southwestern North America. Identification: Mature plants have a thick trunk up to 5' (1.5 m) in height, with a symmetrical, attractive, spherical spray of swordlike leaves on top. The trunk is covered with a protective layer of dead leaves. Sometimes it is erect; sometimes it snakes along the ground. Leaves are light blue-green to gray in color, waxy, 14-43" (35-110 cm) × ⅜-1" (1-3 cm) wide. Leaf edges have strong yellow teeth. Flower spikes are 9½-20' (3-6 m) in height, with smaller greenish or straw-colored flowerheads that look like fluffy catkins. The individual flowers are very small, about ¹/₁₆" (2 mm). They are white on male plants and purple-pink on females.
Flowerhead close-up of Dasylirion wheeleri in cultivation at western edge of Las Vegas, Nevada. By Stan Shebs. 7/27/2005. Edibility: Common sotol is not edible, but it is used to create a somewhat tequila-like distilled spirit, also known as sotol. Here is a description of sotol with a distinct marketing spin. References:
Irish, Mary & Irish, Gary, Agaves, Yuccas and Related Plants: A Gardener’s Guide, Timber Press, 2000, p. 199 Online References:
Southeastern Arizona Wildflowers and the Plants of the Sonoran Desert as Compiled by the Master Gardeners of the University of Arizona Pima County Cooperative Extension The USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database
Dasylirion wheeleri description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved. |
5/25/2009 · Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona
7/29/2023 · Huachuca Mountains, Arizona · By John W. Kent Range:
|
ID is uncertain 
