Common Name: Sotol

General Information

Dasylirion cedrosanum is an evergreen, succulent perennial plant producing a trunk that can eventually be around 100 - 150cm long, and upon which there is a rosette of narrow, prickly leaves that can each be around 100 cm long. The plant usually flowers annually, producing a flowering stem that can be up to 5 metres long[].
This species is one of the most important non-timber forest products in rural areas of northeastern Mexico, being used as a source of food, alcoholic drinks and a range of materials. It is harvested from the wild on a large scale for the commercial production of the alcoholic beverage 'sotol'[]. The plant is also sometimes grown as an ornamental[].
Although harvesting of Dasylirion cedrosanum is occurring for several purposes, the current population is apparently large and stable without any survival problems. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2020)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southern N. America - northeast Mexico (Coahuila, Chihuahua, Durango, Zacatecas, Nuevo León)

Habitat

Found on rocky or gravelly slopes on limestone rich soils; at elevations from850- 2,600 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	1.20 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Dasylirion cedrosanum is native to the semi-arid, sub-tropical climate of northeastern Mexico, where it can be found at elevations up to 2,600 metres[].
Requires a very well-drained soil in a sheltered sunny position[].
This species is being used on a large scale for the commercial production of the beverage 'Sotol'. Regrettably, this activity lacks adequate management plans and there are no commercial plantations of this species; instead, the plants are extracted directly from their ecosystems[].
A dioecious species,both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

The spongy interior of the trunks, as well as the leaf bases, is rich in sugars and has been found to be an excellent food, especially in time of need. The plants were formerly much used for food by the natives of the arid regions, and are still so used to some extent[].
The leaves are trimmed off the plant and the remaining head is roasted or boiled. The sweet pith and the leaf bases can then be eaten[]. Traditionally, the heads were often baked for about 24 hours in pits dug in the ground[].
Once roasted, the trunks can then be fermented and distilled in order to obtain a highly esteemed intoxicating drink known as ‘sotol’, which is a potent, colourless beverage of penetrating odour and peculiar taste[]. The alcohol has been extracted from sotol plants upon a commercial scale[, ].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The tough leaves contain a fibre suitable for making rough cordage. This fibre also seems to be suitable for the manufacture of paper[].
The leaves are often used in weaving, for making baskets, rough hats, mats, handicrafts etc.[, ].
The leaves are also much used for thatching[].

The leaves, with the spines removed, are used for making brooms[].

When one of the plants, covered with the dead leaves, is set on fire it will burn for some time, and the burned stumps are a familiar sight in regions where the plants occur. The leaf bases remaining on such burned plants, when removed from the trunk, make very satisfactory beds upon camping expeditions, for they are elastic and not uncomfortably hard[].

The trunks are used frequently in constructing traditional houses[].
The trunks are used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.