Why people love it
Few plants look as soft and sculptural as a well-grown burro’s tail. Tightly stacked, jellybean-shaped leaves form ropes that can trail several feet. It’s the perfect hanging plant — as long as it’s somewhere it won’t be bumped.
Care in a nutshell
- Pick its spot and leave it there. Leaves drop at the lightest touch. Moving and repotting are the most common causes of bald tails.
- Bright light keeps it tight. In low light, the gaps between leaves grow longer.
- Fallen leaves aren’t wasted. Lay them on dry soil and many will grow roots and tiny new plants within weeks.
Watch out for
- Leaves dropping on their own (without being touched): often overwatering. Check if the soil is staying wet.
- Wrinkled, deflated leaves: time to water.
- Mealybugs tucked between the leaves.
Fun fact: Despite being common in homes everywhere, burro’s tail was named in 1938 from plants that were already in cultivation. Botanists didn’t find it growing wild until 2008, in two ravines in Veracruz.
