This is George.
Elephant's foot
(Beaucarnea recurvata)
Pot-Ø: 20cm
Height: approx. 60cm
The Jungle
King for
your home.
Go get him.
Care tips
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The Elephant's foot appreciates a bright position.
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Do not give it water until the soil feels dry.
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Dried-up brown shoots can be cut back or removed completely.
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During the growing season (spring and summer) it is enough to fertilize every two weeks.
Symbolism, colours & shapes
The Beaucarnea is a symbol of strength and endurance. The botanical name honours Jean-Baptiste Beaucarne, a Belgian succulent lover who was the first to succeed in making a Beaucarnea recurvata blossom. The plant owes its name “Elephant’s foot”, on the other hand, to its noticeable expanded caudex, which is quite similar to the feet of a pachyderm.
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In fact, the Elephant's foot does not look like a houseplant at all, but rather like a small tree: from a expanded base grows a palm-like stem crowned by a funny curly “head” of elongated leaves arranged in a rosette. Officially, this is a flowering plant. But indoors, the Beaucarnea rarely blooms and when it does, the flowers are very unimpressive. The tree stands out not only for its distinctive silhouette, but also for its stamina. The plant grows slowly but steadily and tolerates a lot. If you forget to water the plant, this is not bad at all. The plant stores water in the caudex so that it can survive in dry phases. Thus the Elephant’s foot supplies itself partially, which makes it very suitable for plant care beginners.
Origin
Although the Elephant's foot is often thought to be a palm tree, the plant belongs to the Asparagaceae family. It is native to the south of the United States and South America. Here the plant grows to a tree size of about eight meters in height and one meter in diameter. In Mexico there are “Elephant's foot” that are already 350 years old. In indoor cultivation, the plants become less large, but they can still develop into stately indoor trees. Just make sure that the leaves can hang freely. If they have contact with a wall, a cupboard or a curtain, they can turn brown. By the way, this also happens when the air humidity is low.
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