Imagine my surprise when my Ponytail plant suddenly sprouted what appears to be a flower more than half of its existing height.
I bought the plant probably 6 or 7 years ago, the various websites that I’ve visited to find out a bit more info on it tell me that it’s a very slow grower, they are dead right, if my plant has grown more than 10 cm in all the time that I’ve had it I’d be surprised.
For the record, the plant now stands approx. 70cm high, (excluding the new ‘growth’) the flowery stalky bit which has suddenly shot up overnight is more than half of that, I measure it at 37cm from the ‘crown.’
The plant (Beaucarnea recurvata) is apparently native to Mexico, stores water in its stem and can go for years without or with very little water. Perhaps our recent 3 year drought and my positioning of it in full sun for all of its life have encouraged it to do what comes naturally to most other plants in my garden (that is flower.)
I’ve included a picture of the complete plant on the next page…
Boadicea's Chariot 
It’s an Elephant’s Foot, Soutie. We can only grow them indoors here. I have never seen one with a flower though, I’m not sure they do!
Oh, they do flower but not until they are rather larger than this one!
Good morning Ara.
Thank you, the video that you posted is 3 of 5, I’ve just watched the full set.
You’re right, mine appears to have a long way to go, did you see 5 of 5? Looks like I’m going to end up with a ‘tree’ about 2 meters tall stuck on top of the crown!
Quite remarkable.
That’s not a whatever-it-is, Soutie
THIS
is a whatever-it-is (or two) 🙂
OZ
Nice one Oz, those are obviously from the same or a similar family, I’ve seen loads of those, often when they get too top heavy they fall over and pull the main cacti right out of the ground. down here you rarely see them on their own but in clumps, obviously they’ve learned that they can support each other.
My little ponytail palm / elephant foot (who on earth called it that, there’s no elephants in Mexico :?) is normally a dainty ornamental type, or so I thought!
I’d get it out of that pot if I were you! Should be in the ground.
They or very similar are all over the S Texas/Arizona desert areas. Must admit I’ve never looked at them closely as I don’t ‘DO’ xerophytes. Find that whole landscape look particularly ugly.
One of the reasons I couldn’t leave Dallas fast enough.
Give me wet and green any day.
Howzit Soutie! Those were in The Cave’s front garden last year. After throwing up the flowering spikes (in these cases to about fifteen feet) they keel over and die, but leave loads of ‘babies’.
Talking of Mexico, I heard or read somewhere that tequila is distilled from the stem/heart of a similar plant.
OZ
Arrrgghhhh!!!! Just what I didn’t want to hear, but that makes sense, if it’s doing alright out in the open why not stick it in the ground.
I suppose that the pot was fine while it was just sitting there looking pretty but now?
I’ll try and find somewhere appropriate before that ‘flower’ makes it unmanageable.
G’day Christina, ma’am. I see that either side of the bed was the wrong side to get out of again. 😀 And what in the name of all that’s Holy are xerophytes? Please don’t drive me into the arms of Google again.
OZ
Oz, if you keep your cacti in bunches of 5 or 6 they don’t fall over, when the flower dies chop it down and you still have a large healthy cactus. I’ve seen them in hedges down here, impenetrable!
They grow well just up the road near Craddock, one company here even distills tequila and sells it on a commercial basis.
About 10 years ago when they were launching the product they gave us 2 cases for one of our golf days, nice people but tequila! Not my cup of tea 😉
Soutie – Agave, that the one. The spikes are absolutely well ‘ard very sharp and, without being a wimp, I wouldn’t work on one without wimpish safety goggles. Tequila isn’t my cup of tea either.
OZ
Evening Soutie.
I would leave it exactly where it is, but that’s just my opinion. In a pot, you have control. You really really don’t need to let it run riot and then have to go though the garden with a flame-thrower!
I know it’s not the fastest growing plant but it seems about to take off! I’d be cautious if I were you. I don’t like these prickly sharp things either.
OK, forgot to say, I had a bay tree, which I raised from a tiny tiny twig in a pot. It was fine but didn’t do much for the first few years, although I re-potted it regularly. I then planted in out in the herb bed. It went mad and I have to keep lopping it dramatically. It grew fourteen feet suddenly when I wasn’t looking.
Now this is England, Soutie, how much worse where you are: you have been warned! 😉
Just to say that I don’t think your pony tail is a prickly danger but they do grow very big eventually, so be careful where you plant it out, if that is your plan.
The things that OZ mentioned are horrible though.
This plant is not a relative of the agave, is not prickly as such, will not spread laterally.
It may generate an offset when mature but these can be snapped off easily if not required.
A xerophyte is a plant that is natural to an arid climate and can withstand seasonal drought with no ill effects when mature, hence is very low maintenance. Like all xerophytes it does not like wet feet, it needs a quick draining place. But from the look of your landscape that should not be too difficult to achieve.
It will do very much better if not starved though as it is in that pot.
To de-pot or not to de-pot that is the question.
Mrs O and Ara thanks ever for your advice, info and links.
On the de-potting issue, no problems with space or drainage but the reason this is in a pot in the first place is because of our dogs. We have big dogs and although well behaved one of them would easily knock this over and out in a moment.
I have now done what every self respecting married gardener should do (I use the term gardener loosely.) I’ve shown this post, comments and videos to Mrs Soutie who has reinforcements arriving this weekend (her ma.)
We aren’t fans of cacti and similar desert excrescences either! But when we were in the Med. a neighbour had a row of them on the party wall. One night they all flowered! Very pretty.
It strikes me as being big enough for dogs to go round now, rather than over!
The flower is now 60cm above the ‘crown’ with no sign of opening.
That’s a 23cm growth in 3 days, how big does it get? I’ll keep you posted.