Introductory
SPECIES: Dasylirion wheeleri | Wheeler Sotol 



ABBREVIATION : 
DASWHE

SYNONYMS : 
NO-ENTRY


SCS PLANT CODE : 
   DAWH2


COMMON NAMES : 
   Wheeler sotol
   spoon-flower
   spoon-leaf
   desert spoon
   sotol


TAXONOMY : 
The currently accepted scientific name of Wheeler sotol is Dasylirion
wheeleri S. Wats. [7,10,21].  There are two recognized varieties [21]:

     Dasylirion wheeleri var. wheeleri
     Dasylirion wheeleri var. wislizenii Trel.

Laferriere [10] has suggested that Dasylirion durangense be considered a
variety of D. wheeleri.  However, this variety is not yet widely
recognized.


LIFE FORM : 
Shrub

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
No special status

OTHER STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


COMPILED BY AND DATE : 
Julie L. Tesky, August 1993.


LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : 
NO-ENTRY


AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
Tesky, Julie L. 1993. Dasylirion wheeleri. In: Remainder of Citation

DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Dasylirion wheeleri | Wheeler Sotol 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : 
Wheeler sotol occurs from western Texas to southern Arizona and Mexico
[11,21].  In Arizona it occurs from the Mazatzal and Quivari mountains
in Pima County to Greenlee and Cochise counties.  In New Mexico Wheeler
sotol occurs on the Gila River and Rio Grande drainages from Socorro
County southward and eastward to the White Mountain, Lincoln County.  In
Texas it occurs in the Trans-Pecos region and western parts of the
Edwards Plateau [24].


ECOSYSTEMS : 
   FRES30  Desert shrub
   FRES32  Texas savanna
   FRES33  Southwestern shrubsteppe
   FRES34  Chaparral - mountain shrub
   FRES40  Desert grasslands


STATES : 
     AZ  NM  TX  MEXICO


ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS : 
     CHIR  CORO  FOBO  SAGU


BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 
    7  Lower Basin and Range
   12  Colorado Plateau
   13  Rocky Mountain Piedmont


KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : 
   K033  Chaparral
   K040  Saltbush - greasewood
   K041  Creosotebush
   K042  Creosotebush - bursage
   K043  Paloverde - cactus shrub
   K044  Creosotebush - tarbush
   K045  Ceniza shrub
   K046  Desert: vegetation largely lacking
   K053  Grama - galleta steppe
   K054  Grama - tobosa prairie
   K057  Galleta - three-awn shrubsteppe
   K058  Grama - tobosa shrubsteppe
   K059  Trans-Pecos shrub savanna
   K060  Mesquite savanna
   K061  Mesquite - acacia savanna
   K062  Mesquite - live oak savanna
   K087  Mesquite - oak savanna


SAF COVER TYPES : 
    68  Mesquite
    72  Southern scrub oak
   241  Western live oak
   242  Mesquite


SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : 
NO-ENTRY


HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES : 
NO-ENTRY

VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Dasylirion wheeleri | Wheeler Sotol 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
The sugary trunks and leaf bases of Wheeler sotol have been used to feed
cattle during droughts [14,24].  Ranchers also burn the leaves and split
the short, round flower heads of Wheeler sotol for cattle feed [21].
Bighorn sheep browse Wheeler sotol [7].


PALATABILITY : 
NO-ENTRY


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Wheeler sotol has a variety of uses [24,21].  The Indians and Mexicans
prepared an alcoholic drink known as sotol by roasting the flower head
in a pit for 24 hours and then distilling the expressed juice.  The
leaves are used to make mats, baskets, ropes, thatch, and paper
[11,21,24]. The broad spoonlike leafbase is often used in dried floral
arrangements [11].  Wheeler sotol is also grown as an ornamental [21].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY

BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Dasylirion wheeleri | Wheeler Sotol 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Wheeler sotol is a large, native, desert leaf succulent shrub [2,21,24].
The slender leaves are basally clumped. The leaves are 0.8 to 1.6 inches
(2-4 cm) wide at the base and have prickles on the margins [24].  The
trunk may be up to 3 feet (0.91 m) high, and is either partially buried
or above ground [21].  The flowers are on a long terminal panicle 6 to
17 feet (1.8-5.2 m) high; those on the staminate plants are composed of
dense catkinlike spikes [7,11].  Information on the longevity and root
system of Wheeler sotol is not available in the literature.  However,
Cannon [26] describes a similar species (Dasylirion texanum) as having a
large number of roots, each about 0.2 inch (0.5 cm) in diameter, formed
at the base of the stem.  The roots run downward at an acute angle and
also extend out into the soil in a more or less horizontal direction.
The roots are coarse and are found between 5.9 to 14.1 inches (15-36 cm)
below the surface.


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Phanerophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Sexual reproduction - Wheeler sotol plants are dioecious.  They produce
thousands of tiny flowers in a long narrow cluster [11].  The seed is
contained in a one-celled, three-winged capsule [7].  Wheeler sotol is
cold tolerant and will easily grow from seed [16,21].

Vegetative reproduction - Wheeler sotol can reproduce vegetatively by
sprouting from a thick, woody, mostly subterranean caudex [7].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Wheeler sotol grows on hillsides and slopes in chaparral, desert and
semidesert grasslands and southwestern oak (Quercus) woodland
communities at 3,000 to 5,000 feet (914-1,524 m) in elevation [24,21].
Subsurface water is generally not available.  The soil is shallow, rocky,
or gravelly with good drainage [24].  In Trans-Pacos, Texas, Wheeler
sotol is commonly found growing on limestone and granite [14].

Wheeler sotol is commonly found associated with turpentine bush
(Haplopappus laricifolius), sacahuista (Nolina microcarpa), scrub oak
(Quercus turbinella), Arizona oak (Q. arizonicus), hollyleaf oak (Q.
wilcoxii), desert ceanothus (Ceanothus greggii), true mountain-mahogany
(Cercocarpus montanus), banana yucca (Yucca baccata), grama (Bouteloua
spp.), feather grass (Andropogon saccharoides), silver feather grass
(Muhlenbergia emersleyi), deer grass (M. rigens), and manzanita
(Arctostaphylos spp.)  [4,13,25].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Facultative Seral Species

Wheeler sotol occurs in seral, climax, and postclimax communities.  In
the desert plains grasslands it is often subdominate in the
beargrass-scrub oak postclimax community and the curly mesquite (Hilaria
belangeri)-blue grama climax community [23].


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Wheeler sotol generally flowers in spring or early summer [8,14,21].  In
the Chihuahuan Desert, New Mexico, initiation of flower buds began in
mid- to late May.  Flowering occurred in June and July, and fruits were
mature by August [8].

FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Dasylirion wheeleri | Wheeler Sotol 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Wheeler sotol is moderately sensitive to fire [22].  It occurs in desert
communities that are subject to naturally occurring fire [18].  Wheeler
sotol is a survivor species capable of sprouting from an aboveground
caudex when burnt [19].


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Caudex, growing points in soil

FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Dasylirion wheeleri | Wheeler Sotol 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
The ability of Wheeler sotol to survive fire is dependent upon the
frequency and intensity of fire.  Severe fires can greatly reduce
Wheeler sotol.  On burnt sites in the desert grasslands of Arizona,
White [22] reported that all of the moderately or lightly fire damaged
plants survived the fire while only 3 percent of the severely damaged
plants survived.  Eleven and a half months after a fire in a semidesert
grassland near the Sierrita Mountains, Arizona, mortality of Wheeler
sotol was 47 percent on burnt sites and 0 percent on the control site
[19].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Wheeler sotol populations may suffer high mortality after a severe fire.
However, if the plant survives, it may sprout from a short aboveground
caudex [19,22].  After a semidesert grassland fire in southern Arizona,
the 71 Wheeler sotol plants that survived had apical regrowth.  No
seedlings were found even after 11 postfire months [19].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Wheeler sotol occurs in desert grasslands which are being increasingly
managed by using fire [19].  In these areas, fire is primarily used to
reverse dense scrub invasion and stimulate grass production.  Control of
Wheeler sotol would vary with the conditions and type of burn [22].

REFERENCES
SPECIES: Dasylirion wheeleri | Wheeler Sotol 



REFERENCES : 

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       [434]

.  Brown, David E. 1982. Chihuahuan desertscrub. In: Brown, David E., ed.
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.  Brown, David E. 1982. Semidesert grassland. In: Brown, David E., ed.
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.  Laferriere, Joseph E. 1991. Dasylirion wheeleri var. durangense: a new
       combination in the Nolinaceae. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden.
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.  MacMahon, James A. 1985. The Audubon Society nature guides: Deserts. New
       York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 638 p.  [4956]

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       [348]

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       David E., ed. Biotic communities of the American Southwest--United
       States and Mexico. Desert Plants. 4(1-4): 95-99.  [1826]

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.  Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species originating in northern
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.  Thomas, P. A. 1991. Response of succulents to fire: a review.
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.  Thomas, P. A.; Goodson, P. 1992. Conservation of succulents in desert
       grasslands managed by fire. Biological Conservation. 60(2): 91-100. 
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Related categories for Species: Dasylirion wheeleri | Wheeler Sotol