Yucca flaccida

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Yucca flaccida
Yucca flaccida.jpg
Royal Botanic Garden, Madrid
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Agavoideae
Genus: Yucca
Species:
Y. flaccida
Binomial name
Yucca flaccida
Synonyms [3]
  • Yucca filamentosa var. flaccida (Haw.) Engelm.
  • Yucca concava Haw.
  • Yucca exiguaBaker
  • Yucca glaucescensHaw.
  • Yucca puberula Haw.
  • Yucca orchioides Carrière
  • Yucca louisianensis Trel.
  • Yucca smalliana Fern.
  • Yucca freemaniiShinners

Yucca flaccida, commonly called Adam's needle [4] or weak-leaf yucca, [5] is a species of flowering plant in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae). It is native to south-central and southeastern North America, from the lower Great Plains eastward to the Atlantic seaboard in Virginia, south through Florida and the Gulf states. [6] Its natural habitat is in sandy open woodlands and fields. [4] It is not considered to be threatened by the IUCN. [1]

Contents

Description

It is a stemless evergreen shrub growing to 55 cm (22 in) tall by 150 cm (59 in) broad. It has a basal rosette of sharply pointed, swordlike leaves up to 55 cm (22 in) long. In summer, 150 cm (59 in) long panicles of bell-shaped creamy white flowers are held above the foliage. [7]

The Latin specific epithet flaccida means "weak", "feeble", referring to the leaves which often fold under their own weight (the inner leaves may remain erect as they are supported by the outer ones). [8]

Taxonomy

Some authorities regard Y. flaccida as a variety or form of Y. filamentosa , rather than as a separate species. [4]

Populations in the South Central Region of the United States with unusually narrow leaves have been segregated as Y. louisianensis by some authorities. [9] [10] This entity is found in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. [11]

Ecology

A number of yucca moths lay their eggs upon Y. flaccida as a host plant, an example being Tegeticula intermedia . [12]

Cultivation

It is cultivated and valued as an architectural plant. [7] Numerous cultivars are available, some with variegated leaves, of which 'Golden Sword' [13] and 'Ivory' [14] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [15]

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Tegeticula intermedia is a moth of the family Prodoxidae. Along with other moth species, it is commonly known as a yucca moth. T. intermedia lives in North America, particularly the United States. The moth resides in the southwest, the Great Plains, the Southeast, and mid-Atlantic. It also has been found much farther north in regions of Canada like Ontario and Alberta. There are also notable populations present in New Mexico. Their habitats are diverse and vary in terms of climate, landscape, and other factors. The moth lives in sand dunes, forests, glades, grassland, desert, and forests from the East Coast to the Southwest. Yucca moths have developed a strong mutualism with the yucca plant, such that both depend on each other for survival. The yucca moths and yucca plants have coevolved over millions of years. However, Tegeticula intermedia differs from most yucca moths in that it exhibits cheating behavior by laying eggs without pollinating the yucca plant.

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<i>Phlox carolina</i> Species of flowering plant

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Yucca arkansana, the Arkansas yucca, is a plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas. It generally grows in gravelly, sunlit locations such as rocky outcrops, prairies, etc. It is not considered to be threatened.

<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.

References

  1. 1 2 Clary, K.; Salywon, A.; Puente, R.; Hodgson, W. (2021). "Yucca flaccida". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021: e.T117427961A117470047. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T117427961A117470047.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. "International Plant Names Index (IPNI) -Yucca flaccida" . Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  3. Tropicos, Yucca flaccida
  4. 1 2 3 "Flora of North America (FNA) - Yucca flaccida" . Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  5. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Yucca flaccida". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  6. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  7. 1 2 RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN   1405332964.
  8. Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. p. 224. ISBN   9781845337315.
  9. 1 2 Alan Weakley (2015). "Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States".
  10. Diggs, George; Lipscomb, Barney; Reed, Monique; O'Kennon, Robert (2006). Illustrated Flora of East Texas, Volume 1. Botanical Research Institute of Texas. p. 684.
  11. "Yucca louisianensis". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  12. "Tegeticula intermedia". tolweb.org. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  13. "RHS Plant Selector - Yucca flaccida 'Golden Sword'". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  14. "RHS Plant Selector - Yucca flaccida 'Ivory'". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  15. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 108. Retrieved 10 March 2019.