Ponytail Palm
Beaucarnea recurvata
Family: Asparagaceae
This plant, also known as “elephant’s foot” is grown worldwide as an ornamental, often as a container plant. Though most often seen confined to a container and only being a few feet tall, this plant can get to 15-50’ tall as an arborescent (treelike) plant with a fattened base that lends its common name elephant’s foot. The plant begins to branch and can have numerous branches as it gets older. The green lineal, slightly bent leaves are thin, flat or slightly ridged and can grow quite long. They form a skirt at the base of the green foliage as they age and brown. The swollen base, or caudex, which can get as wide as 10’ or more, is used to store moisture. Tiny flowers occur on stalks that reach 2-3’ high. Plants are dioecious (separate sexes on separate plants).
Photo by Hectonichus on Wikipedia
Beaucarnea recurvata on iNaturalist
Plants are most famous grown in containers which keeps plants small. But in the ground they can reach larger dimensions and they do surprisingly well in the low desert. While young, its best to protect plants from the full, scorching sun. Morning sun and afternoon shade is probably ideal. But as plants get tall they can handle the brutal sun with no problem. Plants require good drainage and do not want to be too wet, especially in winter. In the ground, water plants a few times a month in summer. In containers plants need much more frequent watering, especially in summer. There are records of plants tolerating temperatures as low as 20°F, but its best to protect them from frost, especially while young. Established plants can dependably take 25°F.
The flowers are nectar rich and are visited by numerous pollinators.
The genus name, Beaucarnea, was named after Jean-Baptiste Beaucaire, a Belgian amateur botanist. The specific epithet recurvata means "curved backwards" referring to the leaves. There are about 12 species of Beaucarnea native to Mexico and Central America.
The species of the genus Beaucarnea are mostly in critical condition due to various anthropogenic activities, which has led to severe fragmentation and destruction of their habitat. Additionally, the collection of seeds, seedlings, juveniles and adults for commercial use has affected population size and the proportion of sexes, thereby reducing fertilization possibilities and, consequently, seed production. This exploitation process exposes this species, in a state of threat or extinction, by reducing the minimum viable size of the populations, as well as the deterioration of their genetic diversity. Beaucarnea recurvata, is considered to be threatened according to Official Mexican Standard 059-ECOL-2010 of SEMARNAT in Mexico. The species is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meaning international trade in the species and its parts/derivatives is regulated by the CITES permitting system.
The species was native to numerous states of eastern Mexico but is now confined to the state of Veracruz.[
Plants are most often grown in containers. It is best to grow them outside in filtered sun, or morning sun with afternoon shade, avoiding reflective heat in summer. Indoor plants usually succumb to a slow death.
Watering in summer will be about 2-3 times a week depending on the soil mix and size of the container—allow the plant to dry out briefly between waterings, but not totally. Feed a few times a year to push growth. In winter, water only when the root ball has dried out.
Protect young plants from frost as they are more tender than established plants, though a light frost won’t kill the plant—though it may brown some of the foliage. Too much moisture plus cold weather will kill this plant.
Photo of young, containerized plant by Pluume321 on wikipedia.
Mexican Pony Tail Palm (Beaucarnea gracilis) has stiffer leaves. It is native to semi-desert areas in Mexico (Puebla, N. Oaxaca). Cultivation requirements are similar. Photo by Carlos Domínguez-Rodríguez, iNaturalist
The Red Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea guatemalensis) is from dry areas of Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. It has flushes of red on its much glossier foliage. Photo by Sune Holt, iNaturalist