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Native Plant Database

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Dasylirion wheeleri (Common sotol)
Marcus, Joseph A.

Dasylirion wheeleri S. Wats.

Common sotol, Sotol, Desert Spoon, Desert candle

Liliaceae (Lily Family)

USDA Symbol: dawh2

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

Thousands of tiny greenish-white flowers in a long, narrow cluster that grows from a dense bunch of many slender, spiny leaves.

Desert Spoon plants may be treated in the same manner as Agaves to produce food and liquor (sotol). The tough leaves are woven into mats and baskets and used for thatching. The broad, spoon-like base is often used in dried floral arrangements. The smaller Smooth-leaved Sotol (D. leiophyllum), which grows on limestone in southern New Mexico, western Texas, and northern Mexico, has teeth that curve toward the leaf base.

 

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Shape: Linear
Breeding System: Flowers Unisexual , Dioecious
Size Notes: 2-3
Leaf: Dark Green
Fruit:
Size Class: 3-6 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul

Distribution

USA: AZ , NM , TX
Native Distribution: W. Texas to s. Arizona.
Native Habitat: Rocky desert slopes.
USDA Native Status: L48(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry
CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium
Conditions Comments: Dasylirion wheeleri is a drought tolerant desert plant with an attractive arching rosette of blue-green leaves with sharp teeth along the leaf margins. Placement in the garden should be carefully considered so as not to catch unwary passers-by with thorns. The flower spikes rise dramatically 10 feet above the leaf rosette and attract hummingbirds. Plants have a tendency to rot in heavy soils. To prevent this, provide excellent drainage and use mineral mulches such as crushed limestone or granite instead of a bark mulch.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: Wheeler sotol grown as an ornamental and the broad spoonlike leafbase is often used in dried floral arrangements.
Use Wildlife: The sugary trunks and leaf bases of Wheeler sotol have been used to feed cattle during droughts.
Use Food: Indians and Mexicans prepared an alcoholic drink known as sotol by roasting the flower head in a pit for 24 hours and then distilling the juice.
Use Other: The leaves are used to make mats, baskets, ropes, thatch, and paper.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Interesting Foliage: yes
Attracts: Hummingbirds
Deer Resistant: High

Find Seed or Plants

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is either on display or available from the following:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
NPSOT - Austin Chapter - Austin, TX
Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR

Bibliography

Bibref 841 - Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (2006) Burrell, C. C.
Bibref 995 - Native Landscaping from El Paso to L.A. (2000) Wasowski, S. and A. Wasowski

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Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Dasylirion wheeleri in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Dasylirion wheeleri in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Dasylirion wheeleri

Metadata

Record Modified: 2009-02-20
Research By: BJG, GDB

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