Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Shrub
Origin
South Africa
Southwestern United States, Mexico
Types
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Common sotol, Bear Grass, Common Sotol, Desert Spoon
Number of Varieties
7-
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Boggy areas, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Sunny Edge, Woodland Garden Canopy
Desert, Lower slopes
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-1112-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-1
12-10
Sunset Zone
H1, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Upright/Erect
Rosette/Stemless
Plant Size
Minimum Height
365.76 cm270.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
182.88 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Yellow, Ivory
Yellow
Flower Color Modifier
-
-
Fruit Color
Brown
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Green, Blue Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Egg-shaped
Rosette
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Slow
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Late Spring, Winter, Late Winter
Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Wet Site
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires 4 to 8 inches of water above the soil line
Needs very little water
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune in early summer, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Trim each shoot back to the first set of leaves
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
-
Plant Tolerance
Wet Site
Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
-
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
-
-
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Fine
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Hummingbirds
Allergy
Toxic
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent, Diaphoretic, Diuretic, Emetic, Febrifuge, Laxative, Odontalgic, Ophthalmic, Tonic
-
Part of Plant Used
Bark, Fruits, Inner Bark, Root, Wood
Leaves
Other Uses
Used for woodware
Paper pulp, Pulp can be used to make rope place mats and other goods
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bog Garden, Cutflower, Dried Flower, Everlasting, Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Tropical
Container, Dried Flower, Everlasting, Feature Plant, Rock Garden, Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
BERZELIA lanuginosa
DASYLIRION texanum
Common Name
Buttonbush
Common sotol, Bear Grass, Common Sotol, Desert Spoon
In Hindi
Buttonbush shrub
sotol
In German
Button Strauch
Dasylirion texanum
In French
buttonbush arbuste
sotol
In Spanish
arbusto buttonbush
sotol
In Greek
Buttonbush θάμνος
sotol
In Portuguese
arbusto Buttonbush
sotol
In Polish
Buttonbush krzew
sotol
In Latin
Frutex Buttonbush
sotol
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Rubiales
Liliales
Family
Bruniaceae
Liliaceae
Genus
Cephalanthus
Dasylirion
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Monocots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Nolinoideae
Number of Species
12300
1
27800
👆🏻