Characteristics
A spiky desert plant that keeps growing from year to year. The plant has a crowded cluster of narrow leaves. These are 25-75 cm long and 10-12 mm wide at the base. There are spiny teeth along the edge. These curve backwards. The flowers are on an unbranched flower stalk. This grows 1.6-6.6 m tall. The flowers are in dense clusters on the upper third.
| Life form |
perennial
|
| Growth form |
shrub
|
| Growth support |
free-standing
|
| Foliage retention |
evergreen
|
| Sexuality |
hermaphrodite
|
| Pollination |
entomogamy
|
| Spread |
-
|
| Mature width (meter) |
-
|
| Mature height (meter) |
1.6 - 5.0
|
| Root system |
-
|
| Rooting depth (meter) |
-
|
| Root diameter (meter) |
-
|
| Flower color |
|
| Blooming months |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | | Apr | May | Jun | | Jul | Aug | Sep | | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|
| Fruit color |
-
|
| Fruiting months |
-
|
| Nitrogen fixer |
-
|
| Photosynthetic pathway |
c3
|
Environment
Gravelly limestone and igneous slopes, bajadas, canyons, and arroyos of mountains; at elevations from 1,200-1,800 metres.
| Light |
|
| Soil humidity |
|
| Soil texture |
-
|
| Soil acidity |
-
|
| Soil nutriment |
-
|
| Hardiness (USDA) |
-
|
Usage
The base of the plant is used to make an alcoholic drink called sotol. Caution: Alcohol is a cause of cancer.
Cultivation
Can be grown by seedlings.
| Mode |
seedlings
|
| Germination duration (days) |
-
|
| Germination temperacture (C°) |
-
|
| Germination luminosity |
-
|
| Germination treatment |
-
|
| Minimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Optimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Size |
-
|
| Vigor |
-
|
| Productivity |
-
|
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