Common sotol is a slow-growing desert shrub with a single trunk and a spiky rosette of slender leaves, grown for xeriscape gardens. Its key to success is full sun, excellent drainage and protection from frost.
Family
Asparagaceae (Asparagus family)
Grows as
Shrub
Light
Full sun
Water
Water deeply but infrequently, letting the soil dry out completely between waterings.
Soil
Fast-draining sandy or gritty mix, such as cactus or desert mix.
Temperature
18–35 °C; does not tolerate extended frost, so protect below about -5 °C (grow under glass in cold climates).
How easy
Easy
Native range
S. Arizona to W. Texas, Mexico (Sonora, Chihuahua)
Climate
desert or dry shrubland
About
Dasylirion wheeleri (desert spoon, spoon flower, sotol, Wheeler sotol or common sotol) is a species of flowering plant in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae), native to arid environments of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States.
Where it grows
It is native to arid, rocky 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 western Texas.
Uses
D. wheeleri is grown as an ornamental plant, valued in xeriscaping. As it does not tolerate extended frosts, in temperate regions it is usually grown under glass. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Dasylirion wheeleri by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.