Skip to main content
Yale University

Marsh Botanical Garden 

  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • About The Garden
    • History
    • Staff
    • News
    • Contact Us
  • Explore
    • Find Specimens
    • Indoor Collection
      • Carnivorous
        • Pitcher plants
        • Sundews
        • Venus flytrap
      • Tropical Collection
        • Ferns
        • Wollemi pine
        • Plants of Cultural Value
        • Ponytail Palm
      • The Desert House
        • Cacti
        • Euphorbia
        • Ice plant (Lithops)
    • Outdoor Collections and Gardens
      • Weeping Pear
      • Trifoliate Orange
      • Japanese Stewartia
      • Magnolia Collection
    • Areas of Interest
      • Peabody Museum
      • Herbarium
      • Farnam Memorial Garden
      • Greenberg Conference Center
      • Yale Wetland "Swale"
  • Visit
    • Open Houses & Exhibition
    • Admission Hours
    • Parking & Directions
  • Learning
    • Resources
    • Internships
  • Research
  • Outreach
    • Creature Cast
    • Green Café
    • Tree Maps
    • Citizen Science
  • Support
    • Membership
    • Make a Donation
    • Corporate Partners
    • Volunteer
    • Jobs

The collection houses a variety of monocots. One of them is Beaucarnea recurvata, commonly known as the ponytail palm. Despite its appearance and common name, the species is not a true palm. Its name comes from the giant tuft of leathery leaves growing from the top of the plant that can look like the tail of a horse. When the plant has reached about 10 years of age, it will produce a big inflorescence full of small white flowers. The ponytail palm’s most prominent feature has to be its trunk. Since the plant is native to eastern Mexico, where there are long dry seasons, the base of the trunk is expanded to store water. Due to its unique appearance, the ponytail palm has been cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant.

Home > Explore > Indoor Collection > Tropical Collection > Ponytail Palm
Yale

Accessibility at Yale · Privacy policy
Copyright © 2025 Yale University · All rights reserved

User login

You will be redirected to the secure CAS login page.