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Yucca
Common
Name(s):
Yucca
Scientific
Name:
Yucca
sp. L.
Scientific
Name Synonyms:
None known
Symbol:
YUCCA
Description:
Life Span: Perennial
Origin:
Native
Season: Cool
Growth Characteristics:
A
shrub which can grow up to 15 feet tall. It is deep rooted and long
lived, with individual plant living hundreds of years. Some species
are rhizomatous.
Flowers/Inflorescence:
Creamy
white, tulip-like blossoms, clustered on tall stalks. The flowers
are very fragrant. Yucca is pollinated at night by small whitish
moths that push pollen into the stigmas of the blossoms and deposit
their eggs at the same time.
Fruits/Seeds:
Fruits are dry capsules that contain many dry flat seeds. The young
moths, deposited in the stigma, eat some of the seed, but not all.
Leaves: Stand
out protectively and are armed with very hard sharp points. Most
have loose thread-like fibers that curl from their edges.
Stems: Stems
can be single or clumped. The bark is rough and rigid.
Ecological
Adaptations:
Yucca
species are native to the arid region of the Southwest.
Soils: Occur
mostly on sandy soils.
Associated Species:
Utah
juniper, littleleaf mahogany,
sand sagebrush, blackbrush.
Uses and
Management:
All
species of yucca have played an important role in the economy of
the American Indians. Stalks, buds, flowers, and some fruits have
served as food. Roots are used for soap and as a laxative and leaf
fibers were used as cordage, weaving material, and sandals.
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