Life Span
Biennial
Annual and Perennial
Type
Tree
Shrub
Origin
Mexico
South Africa
Types
Cat palm, Date palm, Old Man palm
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Number of Varieties
17
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens, Grassland
Boggy areas, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Sunny Edge, Woodland Garden Canopy
USDA Hardiness Zone
12-159-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
9-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Upright/Erect
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
457.20 cm365.76 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
365.76 cm182.88 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Ivory
Light Yellow, Ivory
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
-
Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green, Dark Green
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Long hair-like leaves
Egg-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Slow
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Early Spring, Spring, Late Spring, Winter, Late Winter
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Wet Site
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Requires 4 to 8 inches of water above the soil line
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune in early summer, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Trim each shoot back to the first set of leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Wet Site
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
Coarse
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bugs, Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Mites, Spider Mites
Butterflies
Allergy
Blurred vision, Diarrhea, Rash, Vomiting
Toxic
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Shadow Tree
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
Other Uses
-
Used for woodware
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Foundation, Houseplant, Tropical
Bog Garden, Cutflower, Dried Flower, Everlasting, Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Tropical
Botanical Name
BEAUCARNEA recurvata
BERZELIA lanuginosa
Common Name
Bottle Palm, Ponytail Palm
Buttonbush
In Hindi
Ponytail Palm
Buttonbush shrub
In German
Pferdeschwanz Palm
Button Strauch
In French
Ponytail Palm
buttonbush arbuste
In Spanish
Cola de caballo de palma
arbusto buttonbush
In Greek
αλογοουρά παλάμη
Buttonbush θάμνος
In Portuguese
rabo- de palma
arbusto Buttonbush
In Polish
kucyk palmowy
Buttonbush krzew
In Latin
ponytail palmarum
Frutex Buttonbush
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Vascular plant
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Asparagales
Rubiales
Family
Liliaceae
Bruniaceae
Genus
Beaucarnea
Cephalanthus
Clade
Angiosperms
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Nolinoideae
-
Number of Species
1012
1
27800
👆🏻