Yucca elata

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Yucca elata
Yucca elata blooming.jpg
Large soaptree yucca
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Agavoideae
Genus: Yucca
Species:
Y. elata
Binomial name
Yucca elata
Yucca elata range map.jpg
Natural range
Synonyms [2]
  • Y. angustifolia var. elataEngelm.
  • Yucca angustifolia var. radiosa Engelm.
  • Yucca radiosa(Engelm.) Trel.
  • Yucca verdiensisMcKelvey

Yucca elata is a perennial plant, with common names that include soaptree, soaptree yucca, soapweed, and palmella. [3] [4] It is native to southwestern North America, in the Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan Desert in the United States (western Texas, New Mexico, Arizona), southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, and northern Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora, Nuevo León). [5] [6] Yucca elata is widely distributed, although its population appears to be decreasing. [1]

Contents

Description

A dry, opened seed pod Yucca elata seed pod.jpg
A dry, opened seed pod

This plant grows from 1.2 to 4.5 m tall, with a sparsely branched trunk. The trunk is brown, cylindrical in shape and has a small diameter and often has holes drilled by escaping yucca moth larvae. The leaves are arranged in a dense spiral whorl at the apex of the stems, each leaf 25–95 cm long and very slender, 0.2-1.3 cm broad. The white, bell-shaped flowers grow in a dense cluster on a slender stem at the apex of the stem, each flower 32–57 mm long, creamy white, often tinged pinkish or greenish. [7] [8] [9]

The soaptree yucca's fruit is a capsule 4–8 cm long and 2–4 cm broad, maturing brown in summer, when it splits into three sections to release the black seeds. They do not flower every year. [6]

Ecology

These plants fare best in dry, semi-desert conditions. They are very cold-hardy, but need much sunlight. [10]

Subspecies

There are three subordinate taxa are sometimes recognized, although sources differ as to whether these should be considered varieties or subspecies: [6] [11]

Uses

Yucca flowers Yucca elata flowers.jpg
Yucca flowers

Native Americans used the fiber of the soaptree yucca's leaves to make sandals, belts, cloth, baskets, cords, and mats, among other items; they also ate the flowers. [12] Inside the trunk and roots of the plant is a soapy substance high in saponins. In the past, this substance was commonly used as soap and shampoo, which was used to treat dandruff and hairloss. At least one tribe, the Zuni, used a mixture of soap made from yucca sap and ground aster to wash newborn babies to stimulate hair growth. The Apaches also use yucca leaf fibers to make dental floss and rope. In times of drought ranchers have used the plant as an emergency food supply for their cattle; the chopped trunk and leaves can be eaten. [12]

Symbolism

Flowers of the genus Yucca are the state flowers of US state of New Mexico. [13] No species name is given in the statute citation, [14] however the New Mexico Centennial Blue Book from 2012 references the soaptree yucca (Yucca elata) as one of the more widespread species in New Mexico. [15]

Related Research Articles

<i>Yucca</i> Genus of flowering plants belonging to the agave and Joshua tree subfamily

Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40–50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the Americas and the Caribbean in a wide range of habitats, from humid rainforest and wet subtropical ecosystems to the hot and dry (arid) deserts and savanna.

<i>Yucca baccata</i> Yucca with banana-shaped fruit

Yucca baccata is a common species of yucca native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, from southeastern California north to Utah, east to western Texas and south to Sonora and Chihuahua. It is also reported in the wild in Colombia.

<i>Yucca pallida</i> Species of flowering plant

Yucca pallida, sometimes called pale yucca, is a species of yucca native to Northern Mexico and parts of the blackland prairies of northern and central Texas, and notable for its light-colored leaves that range from a pale blue-gray to sage-green in color.

<i>Yucca schidigera</i> Species of flowering plant

Yucca schidigera, also known as the Mojave yucca or Spanish dagger, is a flowering plant native to the southwest deserts of North America.

<i>Hesperoyucca whipplei</i> Species of flowering plant of the Hesperoyucca genus endemic to California and Baja California

Hesperoyucca whipplei, the chaparral yucca, our Lord's candle, Spanish bayonet, Quixote yucca or foothill yucca, is a species of flowering plant closely related to, and formerly usually included in, the genus Yucca. It is native to southwest communities of North America.

<i>Agave attenuata</i> Species of flowering plant

Agave attenuata, commonly called the foxtail or lion's tailagave or the swan's neck agave, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae. Sometimes called the soft-leaf or soft-leaved agave, the aforementioned animal-related names are a nod to the appearance of the plant's inflorescence, which—after years, generally—rises slightly before gravity brings it back down, giving the bloom a curved, "swan"-like or "foxtail" look. The species' specific manner of flowering is unique in the genus Agave as most other species produce a towering, vertical display, reminiscent of a miniature tree.

<i>Dasylirion wheeleri</i> Species of flowering plant

Dasylirion wheeleri is a species of flowering plant in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae), native to arid environments of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States.

<i>Yucca gloriosa <span style="font-style:normal;">var.</span> tristis</i> Variety of flowering plant

Yucca gloriosa var. tristis, known as curve-leaf yucca, curved-leaved Spanish-dagger or pendulous yucca, is a variety of Yucca gloriosa. It is often grown as an ornamental plant, and is native to the southeastern United States, from coastal southeastern Virginia south through Florida and west to Texas. In contrast to Y. gloriosa var. tristis, the leaves of Y. gloriosa var. gloriosa are hard stiff, erect and narrower.

<i>Yucca rostrata</i> Species of flowering plant

Yucca rostrata also called beaked yucca, is a tree-like plant belonging to the genus Yucca. The species is native to Texas, and the Chihuahua and Coahuila regions of Mexico. This species of Yucca occurs in areas that are arid with little annual rainfall.

<i>Thamnosma montana</i> Species of plant

Thamnosma montana, the turpentine broom, or Mojave desert-rue, is a shrub in the citrus family Rutaceae. It is native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Except immediately after heavy rains, its straight stems usually lack leaves, giving it a broom-like appearance. The Latin specific epithet montana refers to mountains or coming from mountains.

<i>Quercus grisea</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus grisea, commonly known as the gray oak, shin oak or scrub oak, is a North American species deciduous or evergreen shrub or medium-sized tree in the white oak group. It is native to the mountains of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It hybridises with four other oak species where the ranges overlap, the Arizona white oak (Q. arizonica), the Gambel oak (Q. gambelii), the Mohr oak (Q. mohriana) and the sandpaper oak (Q. pungens).

<i>Yucca jaliscensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Yucca jaliscensis is a Yucca species native to the highlands of southwestern Mexico. Common names for this species include Jalisco Yucca, Jalisco Soapwort, Izote Yucca. It is native to mountainous areas at about 5000 feet in the States of Jalisco, Colima and Guanajuato.

<i>Yucca angustissima</i> Species of flowering plants belonging to the agave, yucca, and Joshua tree subfamily

Yucca 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.

<i>Yucca lacandonica</i> Species of epiphyte

Yucca lacandonica is a plant species in the yucca genus with the common name "tropical yucca." It is native to Belize and to southern Mexico, the states of Chiapas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Quintana Roo, Campeche, and Yucatán. It is uniquely the only epiphytic species in the genus, although it has been reported to grow terrestrially as well.

<i>Yucca baileyi</i> Species of flowering plant

Yucca baileyi is a plant in the family Agavaceae. It is native to Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado but has been cultivated elsewhere. Much of its native range is within the boundaries of the Navajo (Diné) Reservation, hence the common name "Navajo yucca." The Navajo people make extensive use of yucca fibers to make a wide assortment of useful and ceremonial items. They also use the roots as soap. It is not considered to be threatened, as it has a large range and an overall stable population.

<i>Yucca thompsoniana</i> Species of flowering plant

Yucca thompsoniana, the Thompson's yucca, is a plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to Texas, Chihuahua and Coahuila. Other names for the plant include Beaked yucca, Soyate and Palmita.

<i>Yucca utahensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Yucca utahensis is a species in the family Asparagaceae, native to Utah, Nevada and Arizona. McKelvey

<i>Yucca aloifolia</i> Species of flowering plants belonging to the agave, yucca, and Joshua tree subfamily

Yucca aloifolia is the type species for the genus Yucca. Common names include aloe yucca, dagger plant, and Spanish bayonet. It grows in sandy soils, especially on sand dunes along the coast.

<i>Hesperoyucca newberryi</i> Species of flowering plant

Hesperoyucca newberryi, commonly known as the Grand Canyon Quixote plant or Newberry's yucca, is a plant species endemic to Arizona. It is found only in Mohave and Coconino Counties, on the walls of canyons near the Colorado River.

<i>Agave ovatifolia</i> Species of plant

Agave ovatifolia, the whale’s tongue agave, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae. It is native to the Nuevo Leon region of the Chihuahuan Desert in northern Mexico.

References

  1. 1 2 Hodgson, W.; Salywon, A. (2020). "Yucca elata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T117423218A117470022. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T117423218A117470022.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species".
  3. Common names of yucca species
  4. "Yucca elata". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  5. Biota of North America Project, Yucca elata
  6. 1 2 3 Flora of North America: Yucca elata
  7. Fritz Hochstätter (Hrsg.): Yucca (Agavaceae). Band 1 Dehiscent-fruited species in the Southwest and Midwest of the USA, Canada and Baja California , Selbst Verlag, 2000. ISBN   3-00-005946-6
  8. Fritz Hochstätter (Hrsg.): Yucca (Agavaceae). Band 2 Indehiscent-fruited species in the Southwest, Midwest and East of the USA, Selbst Verlag. 2002. ISBN   3-00-009008-8
  9. Fritz Hochstätter (Hrsg.): Yucca (Agavaceae). Band 3 Mexico , Selbst Verlag, 2004. ISBN   3-00-013124-8
  10. Yucca plant care
  11. Tropicos, Yucca elata
  12. 1 2 Little, Elbert L. (1994) [1980]. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Western Region (Chanticleer Press ed.). Knopf. p. 330. ISBN   0394507614.
  13. "State Flower | Maggie Toulouse Oliver - New Mexico Secretary of State".
  14. Section 12-3-4 NMSA 1978, <https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4374/index.do#!b/12-3-4>, retrieved on 06/12/2021.
  15. "Blue Book | Maggie Toulouse Oliver - New Mexico Secretary of State".