Beaucarnea recurvata

Natural range of Beaucarnea recurvata

Beaucarnea recurvata comes from dry parts of eastern Mexico, where it grows in shrubland and other dry landscapes.

In the wild, it grows in fast-draining ground with irregular rainfall. Its swollen base stores water through dry periods.

Keeping Beaucarnea recurvata healthy as a potted succulent

• Light: Set it near a very bright window. Add direct sun gradually until it receives several hours a day.
• Water: Wait until the mix has dried well through the pot. Then water thoroughly and leave it until the excess has drained.
• Repotting: Move it to a slightly larger pot once roots fill the current one or water starts draining more slowly. Keep the swollen base above the soil line.
• Potting mix: Use a fast-draining cactus or succulent mix with pumice, grit or perlite.
• Temperature and humidity: Warm rooms are suitable. Aim for temperatures over about 10°C; normal room humidity is enough.
• Feeding: When fresh leaves are appearing, give a light cactus or houseplant fertiliser at the rate shown on the label.

Beaucarnea recurvata: base, foliage and pest problems

• A soft swollen base with wet mix: Too much moisture has damaged the roots or lower stem. Unpot the plant, cut decayed roots or soft tissue back to firm healthy tissue with a clean, disinfected tool, discard the damaged material and replant into fresh, dry, free-draining mix.
• A deeply wrinkled base with very dry mix: A long dry spell has left the swollen base short of stored water. Water thoroughly and allow a few days for the base to become firmer again.
• Pale, weak new leaves: The crown is not receiving enough light. Shift the plant closer to a bright window in stages.
• Fine pale speckling or shell-like bumps: Spider mites can cause the speckling, while scale insects form the bumps. Examine the leaves, rinse mite-affected foliage or wipe off scale; for a larger infestation, use a houseplant product only when its label covers the pest, then follow those directions.

Beaucarnea recurvata is non-toxic to cats and dogs

• This plant is non-toxic to cats and dogs.
• Its effects on people are unclear, so keep it away from young children who may chew it.
• Eating a large amount can still cause an upset stomach. Seek medical or veterinary advice if symptoms continue.

Why is it called Beaucarnea recurvata?

Beaucarnea honours Belgian succulent collector Jean-Baptiste Beaucarne. The Latin word recurvata means curved backwards.

Charles Lemaire established the genus Beaucarnea in 1861 in L’Illustration Horticole, volume 8, page 59.

Karl Heinrich Emil Koch and Gustav Adolf Fintelmann first described it as Pincenectia recurvata in 1859 in Wochenschrift für Gärtnerei und Pflanzenkunde, volume 2, page 112. Charles Lemaire later placed it in Beaucarnea as Beaucarnea recurvata in 1861 in L’Illustration Horticole, Misc., page 59.