Yucca angustissima
Engelm. ex Trel.
Fine-leaf Yucca, Narrowleaf Yucca
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Summary
Source: WikipediaYucca angustissima, the narrowleaf yucca, is a plant in the family Agavaceae, known as the "narrow-leaved yucca." It is native to Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah, but grown elsewhere as an ornamental. Yucca angustissima is a low-lying species forming colonies of basal rosettes up to 3 m (10 feet) in diameter. Leaves are long and thin, up to 150 cm long but rarely more than 2 cm across. Flowers are white to cream or greenish-white, pendant, borne in racemes on stalks up to 2 m (7 feet) tall. Fruit is a dry capsule with black seeds. Yucca angustissima is relatively abundant, and although it has local threats, its population appears to be stable overall.
Description
Evergreen shrub reaching 16 inches at slow rate, hardy to UK zone 8. Year-round foliage with flowers from June to July. Hermaphroditic, hand-pollinated. Tolerates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils preferring good drainage; grows in poor soil. Mildly acidic to mildly alkaline pH. Survives semi-shade or full sun, tolerates drought and strong winds but not coastal salt spray.
Edible Uses
The immature fruit is cooked — baked in an oven. It has a bitter taste that resides in the skin, and the fruit is about 6 cm long and 2.5 cm wide. Flowers are delicious raw and can also be dried, crushed, and used as a flavouring. The flowering stem is peeled, cooked, and used like asparagus; the whitish inner portion is the part eaten.
Traditional Uses
The fruit are sometimes used for food. They are baked. The flowers are eaten raw or cooked.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Medicinal Uses
None known.
Known Hazards
The roots contain saponins. Whilst saponins are quite toxic to people, they are poorly absorbed by the body and so tend to pass straight through. They are also destroyed by prolonged heat, such as slow baking in an oven. Saponins are found in many common foods such as beans. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish.
Distribution
It is a temperate plant.
Where It Grows
Australia, North America, USA,
Cultivation
Thrives in any soil but prefers a sandy loam and full exposure to the south. Plants can succeed in light shade. They are hardier when grown on poor sandy soils. Established plants are very drought resistant, this species is also tolerant of damp weather. Plants are not hardy in the colder areas of the country, they tolerate temperatures down to about -10° if in a suitable location. Closely allied to Y. glauca. The plant has a thick prostrate rootstock. In the plants native environment, its flowers can only be pollinated by a certain species of moth. This moth cannot live in Britain and, if fruit and seed is required, hand pollination is necessary. This can be quite easily and successfully done using something like a small paint brush. Individual crowns are monocarpic, dying after flowering. However, the crown will usually produce a number of sideshoots before it dies and these will grow on to flower in later years. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. Members of this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits.
Propagation
Sow seed in spring in a greenhouse, pre-soaking for 24 hours in warm water may reduce germination time. Germination typically occurs within 1–12 months at 20°C. Prick out seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle and grow on in a greenhouse or cold frame for at least their first two winters. Plant out in early summer, with some winter protection recommended for at least the first winter outdoors. Seed is not produced in Britain unless the flowers are hand pollinated. Root cuttings can be taken in late winter or early spring: lift in April or May, remove small buds from the base of the stem and rhizomes, dip in dry wood ash to stop bleeding, and plant in sandy soil in pots in a greenhouse until established.
Other Uses
Fibre from the leaves is used to make ropes, baskets, and mats. The highly fibrous leaves can also serve as paint brushes or brooms, or be woven into mats and used in basketry. The roots are rich in saponins and can be used as a soap substitute.
Notes
There are about 40 Yucca species. Also put in the family Agavaceae.
Synonyms
References (3)
- Annual Rep. Missouri Bot. Gard. 13:58, t. 23, fig. 1, t. 24, fig. 1, t. 83, fig. 6. 1902
- Moerman, D. F., 2010, Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press. p 602
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
