Overview of common sotol Dasylirion wheeleri. Note the long bloom stalk of past their prime flowers. These shrubs often dot the landscape in the southern part of NM. The long, gray-green leaves are slender and have a toothed margin, which can catch on your clothes. The bloom stalk is impressive in its height. Photographed on 7 May 2005 at Aguirre Springs Pine Tree Trail.

Overview of common sotol showing a new bloom stalk Dasylirion wheeleri. The key difference between Dasylirion wheeleri and Dasylirion leiophyllum is that the teeth on the leave margins of Dasylirion wheeleri orient upward or forward and are 1.5 to 3.0 mm long according to Jack Carter (Trees and Shrubs of New Mexico). Photographed on 7 May 2005 at Aguirre Springs Pine Tree Trail.

Closeup of leave margins of the common sotol Dasylirion wheeleri. Here you can see the straight or curved upward nature of the teeth on the leave margins of Dasylirion wheeleri Photographed on 26 December 2000 at Rock Hound State Park.