Yucca filamentosa

Yucca filamentosa, Adam's needle and thread, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae native to the southeastern United States. Growing to 3 metres (10 feet) tall, it is an evergreen shrub valued in horticulture.

Description

A shrub 1.5-1.8 m tall and spreading 90-120 cm wide. The leaves are stiff grey-green. They form a rosette without a leaf stalk. They have thread like curling hairs at the edge. The flowers occur in a compact spike. They are creamy bells. The flowers are 35-50 mm long. The spikes reach 1.5 m high. The fruit are large and fleshy. They split open when ripe.

Edible Uses

The fruit is large and fleshy and can be eaten raw or cooked; it is often dried for winter use. Flowers can be eaten raw as a tasty — if somewhat bitter — addition to salads, or dried and crushed to use as a flavouring. The flowering stem is cooked and eaten like asparagus.

Traditional Uses

The flower stalks are boiled or roasted. The flowers are eaten raw or boiled. The plum-like fruit are eaten.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

Leaves and roots of non-flowering plants are used medicinally. A poultice made from the roots treats sores, skin diseases and sprains. The plant is also used for liver and gallbladder disorders.

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. It suits hardiness zones 6-10.

Where It Grows

Africa, Antigua and Barbuda, Asia, Australia, Britain, Egypt, Europe, France, India, Korea, Mediterranean, Myanmar, North Africa, North America, SE Asia, Slovenia, Turkey, Türkiye, USA,

Cultivation

A very easily grown plant, it thrives in most soils but prefers a sandy loam and full exposure to the south. Dislikes peaty or chalky soils. Can succeed in light shade. Plants are hardier when grown on poor sandy soils. Established plants are very drought resistant. Plants are hardy to at least -15°c when grown in a well-drained soil. This species is one of the toughest members of the genus and once established is capable of surviving, and even thriving, despite considerable neglect. Plants growing in dense weed competition on our Cornwall trial grounds have managed to spread and even flower. A very ornamental and free flowering species, there are some named varieties. 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 about four 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 speed germination. Seed typically germinates within 1–12 months at 20°C. Prick seedlings into individual pots when large enough and grow on under glass for at least their first two winters. Plant out in early summer, with winter protection — a simple pane of glass usually suffices — for at least the first outdoor winter. In Britain, seed is only produced if flowers are hand pollinated. For root cuttings, lift plants in April/May, remove small buds from the base of the stem and rhizomes, dip in dry wood ash to stop bleeding, and pot in sandy soil in a greenhouse until established. Suckers can be divided in late spring; larger divisions can go straight into permanent positions, while smaller ones do best potted up and grown on in light shade until well established, then planted out the following spring.

Other Uses

Leaf fibre is used to make ropes, cloth, baskets and mats, and can also be processed into paper. For papermaking, leaves are harvested in summer, scraped to remove the outer skin, soaked in water for 24 hours, cooked for 2 hours with lye, then beaten in a ball mill for 4 hours — the result is a cream-coloured paper. The leaves also serve as paint brushes. The roots are rich in saponins and work as a soap substitute for washing hair, body and clothing.

Notes

There are about 40 Yucca species. Also put in the family Agavaceae.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Eve's thread, Needle palm, Nitasta juka

References (20)

• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 696
• Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M., and James A. Duke. "The Foodplant Database." http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/cgi-bin/browse/foodplantdb.(ACEDB version 4.0 - data version July 1994)
• Blamey, M and Grey-Wilson, C., 2005, Wild flowers of the Mediterranean. A & C Black London. p 488
• Bremness, L., 1994, Herbs. Collins Eyewitness Handbooks. Harper Collins. p 135
• Brickell, C. (Ed.), 1999, The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Convent Garden Books. p 1066

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