Beaucarnea

Beaucarnea recurvata

Bottle-palm

Beaucarnea recurvata is a caudex-forming tree from arid regions of Mexico, storing water in its swollen base to survive drought. Give it bright light, ideally several hours of direct sun, and gritty, fast-draining mix. Water deeply but infrequently, only once the mix has dried out fully — wait until the top several inches are dry, and err toward leaving it longer, since the caudex rots if kept wet.

Beaucarnea gracilis

Ponytail Palm

Beaucarnea gracilis is a slow-growing caudex-forming tree from the arid regions of central and southwestern Mexico, storing water in its swollen base to survive drought. Give it the brightest spot you have, ideally direct sun, in a gritty fast-draining mix, and water deeply only once the soil has dried out completely throughout the pot. Let it run dry between waterings, as its water-storing base rots readily if kept moist.

Beaucarnea pliabilis

Mexican Ponytail

A caudex-forming tree from the seasonally dry forests of Mexico and northern Central America, storing water in its swollen base and built to endure drought. Give it the brightest light you have and a gritty, fast-draining mix, then water deeply only when the top several inches of soil are fully dry. It rots far more easily than it withers, so err toward the dry end of the range.