Sotol is a evergreen rosette plant, with long spine-clad leaves that attach around a shortened, central stem. Although sotol is sometimes called a "cactus" or an "agave," it is neither. The sotol blooms from April to July, producing a flower stalk from 5-20 feet tall. Mexicans distill a fiery alcoholic drink, also known as sotol, from its juice. Indigenous peoples wove the leaves into useful items such as baskets and mats.