Dasylirion miquihuanensis - Sotol

The Dasylirion miquihuanensis is one of the most beautiful among this genus related to agaves and yuccas, with which it shares a typical appearance of a plant adapted to the arid conditions of high-altitude desert areas. Extremely robust and remarkably low-maintenance, dasylirion can withstand long periods of drought and heavy frosts as long as they are planted in well-drained, dry soil in winter. This species is recognised for its stout habit and very stiff, light green, sparsely spiny foliage, crowned with tufts of fibre, assembled into one or two perfectly spherical magnificent rosettes. It is a trendy and structural plant, decorative all year round, which makes a sensation in a minimalist garden or on a contemporary terrace. Dasylirion can be grown both in the ground and in pots. It is also an excellent rockery or dry garden plant to grow in rocky or sandy soil.

Originally from the high plateaus of northern Mexico, the Dasylirion miquihuanensis can withstand temperatures of around -12/-15°C (10.4/5 °F) in well-drained, dry soil in winter. It will adapt to many gardens if planted in rocky or gravelly soil that does not retain water. Like all dasylirions, it tolerates drought and is indifferent to limestone.

It is a rhizomatous plant belonging to the agave family, slow-growing in dry soil, faster in fresh soil. When young, the Dasylirion forms a dense, hairy ball, but not without grace. After many years, it forms a thick trunk, 1 to 2 m (3 ft 4 in to 6 ft 7 in) high, partially underground, covered with remnants of old leaves, brown in colour, forming a sort of skirt. They can be cut to highlight the trunk. The trunk often ends up lying down, without stopping growing. It bears a spherical crown, 1 m (3 ft 4 in) to 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) wide, composed of several hundred succulent, radiating, thin and rigid leaves, edged with teeth curved towards the heart of the rosette. The leaves are crowned with pale fiber-like tufts, sometimes curled. Flowering occurs after 10 to 15 years of cultivation, in summer. A thin, erect flower spike emerges from the centre of the rosette, 2 to 2.50 m (6 ft 7 in to 8 ft 2 in) tall, among the leaves. The tiny flowers, in cream-white to pale yellow bells, are tightly packed together in the upper part of the flower spike which remain on the plant for a long time, often until winter. Male and female plants are distinct. When watered during the summer, this Dasylirion shows spectacular growth. When selecting a location for the dasylirion plant, do not disturb its delicate root system, as it does not tolerate transplantation well. Unlike agave, the rosette of the dasylirion plant does not die after it flowers. Instead, a lateral bud on the central axis of the plant takes over. 

The Dasylirion miquihuanensis is a rather unique plant, which captivates with its strongly exotic appearance. Superb in a large pot with simple shapes, it is perfect in a minimalist garden. Give it plenty of sunlight and soil that does not retain water, as it does not tolerate cold and wet soils in winter. It is ideal for a large arid slope, at the top of a large exotic or contemporary rockery, or even near a swimming pool, if the soil is well prepared to accommodate it. To dress its base, consider, for example, a carpet of silver-leaved cistus or silver basket, Cerastostigma plumbaginoides, Delosperma or a short grass meadow called Zoyzia tenuifolia, the Mascarene grass. It can also be paired with agaves, prickly pears, fairly hardy columnar cacti (Cleistocactus strausii, Cylindropuntia imbricata), and equally spectacular and undemanding shrubby aloes.