Ponytail Palm - A Gem From The Mexican Desert

People often make the mistake of assuming the “Ponytail Palm”; is a palm, but in reality is much closer to the Yucca. Even though the name "ponytail" happens to be it’s common name, it acquired a few more names like bottle palm, and elephants foot.

One reason it’s important to use "botanical names", it helps identify exactly what plant you’re talking about. So let’s get correct. The botanical name for the "ponytail" is Beaucarnea recurvata and it’s a member of the Lilaceae (lily family).

The Beaucarena calls the Mexican desert home and could possibly be one of the slowest growing plants I’ve ever grown. Plants can reach ceiling height but if you’re starting with a small plant… expect to wait years!

To improve your care of any plant, do some research and find out where it originates. The dry climate of the mexican desert offers us a clue into how well it can perform in a dry, low humidity climate indoors. It also gives us a good indication of handling dry winter heat.

This also tells us about the soil conditions it will tolerate. A mix more on the sandy side will be better than a soil with heavy peat mix used in many tropicals.

Finally, what kind of light do you think the old "ponytail" wants? Right - very bright indirect to full sun.

The ponytail is a great plant to start with as it’s one of those almost indestructible ones. Give it a try!