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Species library › Beaucarnea › Beaucarnea gracilis
Succulents Well documented

Beaucarnea gracilis

Beaucarnea gracilis is a caudiciform, tree-forming relative of the ponytail palm from the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán valley of Puebla and Oaxaca. It grows in open, sunny dry scrub with a long dry winter and summer rains, so give it full sun, a fast-draining mix and a drier winter.

Beaucarnea gracilis
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night A clear drop at nightTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Grows in semi-arid scrub and on rocky limestone slopes with columnar cacti, mostly around Tehuacán. Plants form a swollen base that stores water through the dry season.

Recorded at 628–2435 m, median about 1630 m.

Mexico CentralMexico Southwest

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.