Succulent · Asparagaceae Draft — unreviewed
Desert spoon
Dasylirion wheeleri S.Watson ex Rothr.
Also called desert spoon, sotol.
Dense, spherical rosette of narrow blue-gray leaves edged with hooked teeth. Forms a short trunk with age.
Size over time
Typical landscape size 0.9–1.5 m (3–5 ft) tall and 0.9–1.5 m (3–5 ft) wide; slow growth, about 12 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.12) from the #5 install size.
Design notes
- Leaf teeth snag skin and clothing — keep 1 m from paths.
- Flower stalks reach 3–5 m but the plant does not die after flowering.
Regions
Native range: Arizona, New Mexico, west Texas and northern Mexico.
Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:
Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.
Related plants
Parry's agave
Agave parryi · Succulent · 0.5–0.6 m (1–2 ft)
Saguaro
Carnegiea gigantea · Succulent · 4.5–12 m (15–39 ft)
Engelmann's hedgehog cactus
Echinocereus engelmannii · Succulent · 0.2–0.5 m (0–1 ft)
Fishhook barrel cactus
Ferocactus wislizeni · Succulent · 0.6–1.5 m (2–5 ft)
Ocotillo
Fouquieria splendens · Succulent · 2.4–4.5 m (8–15 ft)
Bear grass
Nolina microcarpa · Succulent · 0.9–1.2 m (3–4 ft)
Plan with Desert spoon
Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.