Scientific Name
Other Names
Life Form
Synonyms
Family
Ornamental - It is a popular houseplant valued for its unique appearance and low-maintenance requirements. Traditionally, the leaves were used to make fiber for ropes and mats (limited use today).
Central America
It grows in dry scrublands and thorn forests at altitudes of 500-2000 m asl.
Has long, curly leaves that cascade like a ponytail. Its swollen trunk stores water, enabling it to survive in dry conditions.
It is an evergreen succulent, 3-8 m tall.
Stem (caudex) is bulbous and woody at the base, narrowing upwards. The surface is rough and grayish-brown, with leaf scars visible. Above the caudex, the stem is slender and green, with minimal branching.
Leaves are long, strap-like, and arranged in a dense cluster at the top of the stem. They are typically 60-120 cm long and 1-2 cm wide, with a glossy green upper surface and a paler green underside. The margins are smooth, and the leaf tips can be slightly drooping.
Flowers are small, white, and fragrant, borne in loose clusters (panicles) on stalks emerging from the base of the leaf cluster. Each flower has six tepals (combined sepals and petals), three stamens with yellow anthers, and a pistil with a three-lobed stigma. Flowering is infrequent, typically occurring in mature plants under ideal conditions.
Fruit is a small, round drupe, about 1 cm in diameter. It matures from green to a reddish-brown color and contains a single seed.
Flowering: April – May
Fruiting: January – February