Yucca

Scientific Name: 

Yucca baccata

Physical Appearance: 

• Large, bulb shaped, white flowers that bloom in a cluster on a stalk in the center of the plant

• Fleshy, soft, and green/gray colored fruits (other types of yucca have hard, dry fruit)

• Ridgid, long leaves that come to a point 

When Does It Grow: 

• Blooms in the spring

Preferred Environment: 

• Rocky slopes, various woodlands, and desert terrain 

Method of Reproduction: 

• Yucca is one of several plants that contain both male and female organs making is a hermaphrodite 

• The yucca butterfly is specialized for the pollination of yucca flowers as they lay eggs in the ovary of the flower while transferring pollen.

Medicinal Uses: 

• The roots are plentiful in saponins, so when the roots are crushed and added to water it creates a soap

• Mashed leaves can be used as a vomiting preventative 

• While the fruit is normally baked, if eaten raw, it can serve as a laxative

Role in the Ecosystem: 

• Butterflies are very attracted to the yucca’s flowers 

  • There is even a butterfly with “yucca” in its name for how commonly it is found on the plant! Check out Yucca Giant-Skipper (Megathymus yuccae)

• Birds and small insects eat the fruits

Random: 

• Also known as “banana yucca” because of the shape of their fruit

• The banana resembling fruit is the traditional food of the Apache and Navajo indigenous  people

• The leaves can be made into baskets, ropes, and brushes

• New Mexico’s state flower