PlantFiles: Desert Spoon, Blue Sotol
Dasylirion wheeleri

I've seen these growing in the wild in Tonto Basin, AZ; Oracle AZ; and on the West Ruby Road Trail in Arizona (South of Tucson), off of Interstate 19 through to Ruby, AZ and on to Arivaca, AZ.

This specimen was grown from tiny seedling for over 20 years in this location. It has flowered once before and will split now to 4 heads over time. It splits upon each flowering. Eventually under hard conditions, it should form a trunk. It is a beautiful light blue though not so visible in the attached photo.

Easy care in the right location. It is a valuable addition to almost any garden that has the space to accommodate it.

bob
:>)

A favorite desert plant, I like it so much I purchased one for my yard.

This species can be treated in the same manner as agaves to produce food and liquor (sotol) The tough leaves can be woven into mats and baskets and used for thatching.

The spoon like base is often used in dried flower arrangements.

It's range is Southern AZ, east to West TX , and also into Northern Mexico.

This plant is widely planted here in Henderson and it does very well. Very drought tollerant and good for xeriscaping. The leaves are indeed dangerous and should be planted away from foot traffic. This plant looks very handsome when the older lower leaves are cut off leaving the base bare. It resembles a pineapple. The bell-shaped white flowers are actually very small, but are clustered on a tall inflorescence that grows 8'-12' tall.

This species of Dasylirion is a little more commonly grown in southern California (U.S.) as specimen plants or additions to xeriscapes. It is called the Desert Spoon since its leaves are flat and slightly cupped, holding water at its spoon shaped base where it attaches to the trunk (It has to be removed to see this shape).

Unlike the other commonly grown species, D longissimus (quadrangularis), the leaves on this species are viciously spiny and can easily cause bleeding if just brushed up against. One of the reasons Dasylirions are used in landscaping is their unique geometically perfect globoid lumps with hundreds of perfectly arranged leaves coming out in all directions. Some D wheeleri have green leaves, but the more commonly planted specimens have blue-silver leaves that make a great look in a garden with lots of green. The blue-silver plants also have a slight twist to their leaves, and they end in little brown tufts. Very old plants start to clump and look a bit messy. They produce enormous flowers that tower over the plant, reminiscent of Agaves.