| Common Name |
Desert spoon, Sotol, Desert candle |
| Latin Name |
Dasylirion wheeleri |
| Family |
Agavaceae |
| Sunset zones / USDA zones |
10-24 / 7b-11 |
| Type / Form |
Succulent shrub / Medium |
| Native Habitat |
Between 3,800 and 6,000 feet in the Chihuahuan Desert |
| Soil |
Dry decomposed granite, sand, clay loam, limestone, low
organic content |
| Exousure |
Full sun |
| Water |
Once each month, none once established |
| Height X Width |
Maximum 7 X 5 feet, usually 5 feet X 4 feet |
| Protective Mechanism |
Spines |
| Leaves |
Evergreen, silver to green |
| Flowers |
Flants are dioecious; insignificant whitish green
flowers clustered tightly on dramatic stalk emerging from center of
clump; grows 6 to 15ft above foliage; female plant flower structure is
more rounded, on male plant it is more narrow; stalk is persistent if
not removed |
| Bark / Roots |
NA / Not substantial |
| Maintenance |
Little |
| Propagation |
Seeds, sow in early summer, requires scarification |
| Pests and Diseases |
None |
| Landscape uses |
Erosion control, container, rock garden, low
maintenance, foliage accent, specimen |
| Garden Suitability |
Hummingbird, Sonoran, Moonlight |
| Ornamental Value |
Yellow flowers on 15 to 20 foot stalks, silver to green
evergreen leaves |
| Nature Value |
Flowers visited by hummingbirds, browed by big horn
sheep |
| Native American Uses |
Roasted and eaten like artichokes, used to make liquor,
mats, rope, made into cakes |
| Links |
|
| Images, and
data |
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Agavaceae/Dasylirion_wheeleri.html |
| Images, and
data |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasylirion_wheeleri |
| Images, and
data |
http://ag.arizona.edu/arboretum/taxa/Dasylirion_wheeleri.html |
| Images and data |
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/57401/ |
| Images and data |
http://cals.arizona.edu/pima/gardening/aridplants/Dasylirion_wheeleri.html |
| Images and data |
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=dawh2 |
| Images and data |
http://wc.pima.edu/Bfiero/tucsonecology/plants/shrubs_sot.htm |
| Images and data |
http://www.wnmu.edu/academic/nspages2/gilaflora/dasylirion_wheeleri.html |
| Images and data |
http://www.fireflyforest.com/flowers/949/dasylirion-wheeleri-common-sotol/ |
| Images and data |
http://www.desertmuseumdigitallibrary.org/public/detail.php?id=ASDM01321&sp=Dasylirion%20wheeleri |
| Images and data |
http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/potd/2009/05/dasylirion_wheeleri.php |
| Data |
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Dasylirion+wheeleri |
| Data |
http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/daswhe/all.html |
| Data |
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101561 |
| Nursery, images, and data |
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/39550/ |
| Nursery, images, and data |
http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=496 |
| Nursery |
Oak Hills Nursery, 13874 Ranchero Road, Oak Hills, 92345,
760-947-6261 |
| Distribution map |
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=8796&flora_id=1 |
