Common Sotol (Dasylirion wheeleri)

Family: Agavaceae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Bloom Color: White. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Late summer, Mid summer. Form: Rounded.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Shoots

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Spring

Flavor & Culinary Uses

rich in sugar, the pith can be used to make the alcoholic beverage 'sotol'. — The central part of the plant can be cooked and eaten.; The crown of the plant was baked by the native North American Indians then dried, pounded into a powder and made into cakes.; They would also peel the baked crown, crush it, mix it with water then ferment it and use it as a beverage.; The flowering stems can be roasted, boiled or eaten raw.

Habitat & North American Range

Open, rocky slopes at elevations of 1200 - 1900 metres in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Mexico . (Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9, Zone 10)