Beaucarnea recurvata
Encyclopedia
Beaucarnea recurvata, the Ponytail palm (though it is not a true palm
) is a species of Beaucarnea
. The ponytail palm is native to the states of Tamaulipas
, Veracruz
, and San Luis Potosí
in eastern Mexico
. The plants have a very noticeable caudex
, for the purpose of storing water.
, and outdoor ornamental plant
in temperate climate gardens. The plant is hardy to 10°C, and grows in full sun to light shade. The plants are very slow growing and very drought tolerant, in a container or planted as an ornamental garden tree.
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
) is a species of Beaucarnea
Beaucarnea
Beaucarnea is a genus of four species of flowering plant native to Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae...
. The ponytail palm is native to the states of Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
, Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
, and San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
in eastern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The plants have a very noticeable caudex
Caudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
, for the purpose of storing water.
Cultivation
Beaucarnea recurvata often grown as an indoor houseplantHouseplant
A houseplant is a plant that is grown indoors in places such as residences and offices. Houseplants are commonly grown for decorative purposes, positive psychological effects, or health reasons such as indoor air purification...
, and outdoor ornamental plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
in temperate climate gardens. The plant is hardy to 10°C, and grows in full sun to light shade. The plants are very slow growing and very drought tolerant, in a container or planted as an ornamental garden tree.