Few know the smoking plant and its multiple properties, it is a plant belonging to the Agavaceae family, tropical, its origins date back to Central America.

The smoke-eating plant originates from the dry areas of America. Its growth is quite slow and is characterized by a semi-woody stem. The part near the ground is very swollen and serves as a water reservoir.

In the upper part it has a tuft of long leaves that can reach 2 meters, they are curved, thin, with a downward tendency, bright green in color. Flowers rarely appear, but they are usually found only on plants of a certain age. The fruit is a capsule that has two or three seeds inside.

Smoking plant, characteristics and origins

The smoking plant is called beaucaranea, there are female plants and male plants. The varieties are different, there are 8 and they come from Mexico. Among the many, there is the widespread beaucarnea recurvata, native to Mexico, resembles the palm tree and is in fact known as the horsetail palm.

It is a real tree that can reach 15 meters in height, with a diameter of 3 m. On the other hand, as far as flowers are concerned, they are yellow and can measure up to one meter wide.

Some types of this plant

Then there is the beaucarnea longifolia, whose leaves are very thin, reaching a length of one meter at most. It is followed by beaucarnea gracilis, which has a fleshy stem, also swollen at the base, the leaves are 1.5 meters wide, 50 or 70 cm long.

The flowers are in clusters and the color is red. It is followed by the beaucarnea stric ta, with stiff leaves, whose margins are curved. Usually, the plant flowers only with some very specific weather conditions, at a certain age, certainly not when it is young.

How to plant it and what care it needs to grow well

Smoker can also be found in pots, it is transplanted in spring only if the pot is too small and therefore there is no alternative. To do this, the earth is divided into two parts, one part peat and two parts sand. This allows water to drain, which promotes plant growth. In addition, it is recommended to use terracotta pots, these allow better breathing than plastic pots. The smoking plant is a plant that adapts easily to internal weather conditions, the cold temperature should not drop below 10 degrees, while the hot temperature can even reach 30 degrees.

It can live exposed to direct sun, unlike many other plants, it needs abundant light. As for watering, it is good to avoid water stagnation in the dish, so it should be cleaned every time water is added. While early in the morning, to create the ideal humid microclimate, which allows for optimal plant growth, misting can be helpful.

It is advisable to completely suspend watering in the autumn-winter period, since during the colder seasons the plant uses the water stored in the stem to survive. Too much water can cause death. No pruning is necessary, as the leaves are simply removed as they dry, which are damaged, usually in this case, they fall off on their own.

Plant price and home use

As for the reproduction of the fumivore, it can be reproduced by seed, a method that allows to have plants equal to the mothers, or by basal shoots. This technique involves taking shoots from the plant, which are planted in 10 cm pots and kept in the shade. What matters is to keep the soil constantly moist.

It is not possible to say with extreme certainty what the sale price of the plant is, it is impossible to estimate the cost, since there are several specimens. Some of these even reach 10 meters in height, so the price will be high compared to specimens that are still small in both age and size. In addition, a detail that makes the price change is the swelling at the base, the larger it is, the more expensive the plant.

Finally, a myth needs to be debunked. The plant is not called a smoke eater, because it is capable of neutralizing smoke in the house. But because it survives fires, unlike many other plants.