The photos were taken at the Lyman Conservatory, Smith College, Northampton MA USA in January 2025.
This tropical relative of asparagus is an upright, fine-textured evergreen tree that grows very slowly, up to 30 feet in height. It has a greatly swollen base (sometimes 7 feet across) which narrowly tapers in older specimens. The light green leaves, up to five feet long and ¾ of an inch wide, are produced in tufts clustered on the tips of branches. The cascading nature of the leaves gives much the appearance of a pony's tail. Creamy yellow flowers are quite showy as they are held up above the foliage in spring and summer. The tree will occasionally flower 2 or three times a year. Height 12-18 feet, spread 10-15 feet; crown uniformity is irregular.
The listed distribution is southeastern Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. The plant was acquired in 1978.
by BobLI