Description: Beaucarnea stricta is an arborescent plant, slightly branching at top, that develops a curious, massive caudex textured like a tortoise's shell. It is not nearly as popular in nurseries as its cousins Beaucarnea hartwegiana and Beaucarnea recurvata. The primary difference is in the leaves straight, erect on the crown instead of curving and much stiffer.
Stem (succulent caudex and trunk): Bulbously thickened at base with a slender trunk somewhat branching above, but usually not branching before it reaches quite some height. Total height 4-8(-10) m, the base will slowly reach 3 m in diameter. The trunk and branches are clothed for quite a time with the remains of many dried leaves.
Rosettes: Dense crowded at the stems apex.
Leaves: Pale greyish-green to glaucous-blue, straight, stiff, rigid, channelled, keeled, spreading, later extended or dropping, 60-90 cm long, (8-)9-12(-15) cm wide and many remain erect in the crown of the plant, base not quite as bulbous as the other species, surface with papillose groves, margin minutely rough.
Inflorescence: Egg-shaped 60 to 80 cm tall, with 20 to 30 cm wide. Inflorescence stalk bearing many irregularly arranged flowering branches almost to the base.
Flowers: Cream colored, perianth about 1,5 mm broad.
Fruit: Elliptical capsule, 6-10 mm long, up to 6-12 mm wide and contain one seed.
Seed: Irregularly triangular 3-4,5 mm broad.