Beaucarnea recurvata 'Ponytail palm'

Drought-resistant & easy-care palm-like plant from Mexico

The Ponytail palm can grow up to 8 metres tall in the wild. It has a strongly thickened stem at the base called a ' caudex', which acts as a water reservoir. In the wild, this stem can swell up to a full 14 metres in circumference!

From the top of the stem grow narrow, leathery leaves that often curve downwards. When the plant is really old (over 10 years old) it may also have small white flowers in clusters, but this does not happen very often indoors.

Botanical description

Beaucarnea recurvata comes from the subfamily Nolinoideae, where Dracaena and Sanseveria also come from. The species B. recurvata comes from the dry and mountainous regions of Mexico. It grows in dry deciduous forests with a warm climate (average around 20 °C) at altitudes between 200-900 m above sea level.

Care

The Ponytail palm thrives in the wild in mountainous, nutrient-poor places where it receives full sunlight or partial shade. It grows slowly but is very drought-resistant, making it well-adapted to dry indoor environments.

Place the plant in a sunny window and water only when the soil is completely dry. Use a well-drained soil with sand or perlite, such as our peat-free soil. Be very sparing with nutrition and only add during the summer months.

Over the years, B. recurvata can become as big as a tree indoors. A truly unusual sight. Buy Ponytail palm online!