Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Grass
Shrub
Origin
Southwestern United States
Southwestern United States, Mexico
Types
Muhlenbergia rigens, Muhlenbergia emersleyi
Common sotol, Bear Grass, Common Sotol, Desert Spoon
Number of Varieties
5-
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Sandy areas
Desert, Lower slopes
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-1112-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12 - 1
12-10
Sunset Zone
7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 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
Clump-Forming
Rosette/Stemless
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.00 cm270.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
60.00 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
Yellow
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Green, Blue Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Long linear and narrow
Rosette
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Slow
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires watering in the growing season, Water occasionally
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, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune if you want to improve plant shape, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
fertilize in spring
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
-
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Heat Tolerance
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
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
Birds, Deers, Insects
Hummingbirds
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Ground Cover, Landscape Designing, Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Nesting sites for birds, Shelter for wildlife
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Sore throat
-
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Root
Leaves
Other Uses
Can be made into a herbal tea, Decoration Purposes, Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant
Paper pulp, Pulp can be used to make rope place mats and other goods
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Foundation, Groundcover, Mixed Border, Wildflower
Container, Dried Flower, Everlasting, Feature Plant, Rock Garden, Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
MUHLENBERGIA rigens
DASYLIRION texanum
Common Name
Deer Grass
Common sotol, Bear Grass, Common Sotol, Desert Spoon
In Hindi
हिरण घास
sotol
In German
Deer Grass
Dasylirion texanum
In French
cerfs Herbe
sotol
In Spanish
Ciervo Hierba
sotol
In Greek
ελάφια Grass
sotol
In Portuguese
cervos grama
sotol
In Polish
Deer Trawa
sotol
In Latin
deer Grass
sotol
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Anthophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Poales
Liliales
Family
Poaceae
Liliaceae
Genus
Muhlenbergia
Dasylirion
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Monocots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Chloridoideae
Nolinoideae
Number of Species
40300
1
27800
👆🏻