Asparagaceae
Ponytail palm
Beaucarnea recurvata
- Family
- Asparagaceae
- Genus
- Beaucarnea
Pets and kids
- CatsSafe
- DogsSafe
- KidsNot sure
Why
Cats: Safe
Sources below say it is non-toxic to cats. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.
- Toxic and Non-toxic Plants: Pony Tail - ASPCA ASPCA Animal Poison Control
- Beaucarnea recurvata (Bottle Palm, Elephant-foot Tree, Ponytail Palm, Pony Tail Plant) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox University or extension
Dogs: Safe
Sources below say it is non-toxic to dogs. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.
- Toxic and Non-toxic Plants: Pony Tail - ASPCA ASPCA Animal Poison Control
- Beaucarnea recurvata (Bottle Palm, Elephant-foot Tree, Ponytail Palm, Pony Tail Plant) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox University or extension
Kids: Not sure
We found no reliable source on this plant for young children, so we don't call it safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked with a doctor or poison control.
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Is Ponytail palm safe for cats, dogs and kids?
Is Ponytail palm safe for cats?
Our sources call Ponytail palm non-toxic to cats. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.
- Toxic and Non-toxic Plants: Pony Tail - ASPCA ASPCA Animal Poison Control
- Beaucarnea recurvata (Bottle Palm, Elephant-foot Tree, Ponytail Palm, Pony Tail Plant) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox University or extension
Is Ponytail palm safe for dogs?
Our sources call Ponytail palm non-toxic to dogs. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.
- Toxic and Non-toxic Plants: Pony Tail - ASPCA ASPCA Animal Poison Control
- Beaucarnea recurvata (Bottle Palm, Elephant-foot Tree, Ponytail Palm, Pony Tail Plant) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox University or extension
Is Ponytail palm safe for kids?
We found no reliable source on this plant for young children, so we don't call it safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked with a doctor or poison control.
Ate some? Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (a fee may apply). For a child, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (US). If they are struggling to breathe or collapse, call 911. Don't give anything by mouth unless a vet or poison expert tells you to.
See all cat-safe plants, dog-safe plants and child-safe plants.
Similar names and close relatives
A shared name doesn't mean a shared answer: check the exact plant.
- Parlor palm Chamaedorea eleganssimilar nameCats: Safe; Dogs: Safe; Kids: Safe
- Areca palm Chrysalidocarpus lutescenssimilar nameCats: Safe; Dogs: Safe; Kids: Safe
- Bamboo palm Rhapis excelsasimilar nameCats: Safe; Dogs: Safe; Kids: Not sure
- Kentia palm Howea forsterianasimilar nameCats: Safe; Dogs: Safe; Kids: Not sure
- Date palm Phoenix dactyliferasimilar nameCats: Not sure; Dogs: Not sure; Kids: Not sure
- Betel palm Areca catechusimilar nameCats: Not sure; Dogs: Not sure; Kids: Not sure
Common names
By language (16)
- Arabic
- نبات قدم الفيل
- Chinese
- 酒瓶蘭, 酒瓶兰, 象腿树
- Corsican
- Pedi d'elefanti
- Czech
- Bokarnea tlustokmenná, Sloní noha
- English
- Ponytail palm, Bottle-palm, Elephant's-foot, Nolina
- Esperanto
- Elefantpiedo
- Finnish
- Pullojukka, Huiskupullojukka
- German
- Elefantenfuß
- Hungarian
- Közönséges elefántláb
- Japanese
- トックリラン, ノリナ, 徳利蘭
- Persian
- لیندا
- Polish
- Bokarnea odgięta, Beukarnea wygięta
- Russian
- Бокарнея изогнутая, Бутылочная пальма, Слоновья нога
- Swedish
- Flasklilja
- Tatar
- Georgia'
- Ukrainian
- Бокарнея відігнута
Synonyms
- Beaucarnea inermis (S.Watson) Rose
- Beaucarnea tuberculata Roezl
- Dasylirion inerme S.Watson
- Dasylirion inermis S.Watson
- Dasylirion recurvatum (K.Koch & Fintelm.) J.F.Macbr.
- Nolina recurvata (K.Koch & Fintelm.) Hemsl.
- Pincenectitia tuberculata K.Koch & Fintelm.
Flowers
- In flower
- May (from 8 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Photos
Photo: juancruzado, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Arturo Benavides Mendoza, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: juancruzado, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Bella deDrowned, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Arturo Benavides Mendoza, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: tereso30, CC BY 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Juan Cruzado Cortés, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: tereso30, CC BY 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Tereso Hernández Morales, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: claudiocantu17, CC BY 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Tereso Hernández Morales, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: juancruzado, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
More in Beaucarnea
- Beaucarnea gracilisAsparagaceae
- Beaucarnea strictaAsparagaceae
- Beaucarnea hiriartiaeAsparagaceae
- Beaucarnea hookeriAsparagaceae
- Beaucarnea goldmaniiAsparagaceae
- Beaucarnea guatemalensisAsparagaceae
- Beaucarnea pliabilisAsparagaceae
- Beaucarnea glassianaAsparagaceae
- Beaucarnea sanctomarianaAsparagaceae
- Beaucarnea compactaAsparagaceae
- Beaucarnea purpusiiAsparagaceae
Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0); common names from SimplePlant editors (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.