Scientific Name:
Beaucarnea recurvata
Pronunciation:
bow-KAR-nee-uh ree-kur-VAY-tuh
Common Name:
ponytail palm
Family Name:
Asparagaceae
Plant Type:
Indoor foliage plant
Key ID Features:
Like a small palm tree but with stem widely swollen at base (may appear as rounded brown ball on young plants), up to only 1-2m tall after many years; leaves linear and curve back on themselves near tips, most 45-90(-180)cm long x 0.5-2cm wide.
Habit:
Arching
Form:
Vase
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
1.3 - 2.0m
Mature Spread:
1.5 - 2.0m
Growth Rate:
Slow
Origin:
Mexico
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 10: (-1 to 4 °C)
Exposure:
Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Rocky or gravelly or dry, Well-drained
Water Use:
Low
Landscape Uses:
Container planting, Indoor plant
Additional Info:
Google Can live one year without water (retained in the base of truck).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple, Grass-like
Arrangement:
Spiraled, Basal
Texture/Venation:
Leathery, Parallel venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Shapes:
Lanceolate
Apices:
Acuminate
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Panicle
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
3
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Not showy, White, Yellow
Flower Time at Peak:
Additional Info:
Unlikely to form on indoor plants; 6 tepals
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
Dark-red
Fruiting Time:
Additional Info:
Fruit insignificant, Unlikely to form on indoor plants
Bark Morphology:
Single stem trunk
Bark or Stem Colour:
Brown
Organ Modifications:
Succulent stems, Stem enlarged at base.
Propagation:
Greenwood cuttings
Optimal Temp.:
Medium
Light Level:
Medium
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Mealybugs, Root rot, Scale insects (Drought tolerant)
