Because Yucca baccata occurs in a wide range in much of the south western USA and northern Mexico, it is a variable species. It has also a large range in elevation: from 600-2450 m. There are small-trunked cluster forming plants that develop rosettes of 5-50 heads, developing clumps way over 2 meters. In other area's plants form single trunks up to 2 m. Single trunks often curve and branch out. The leaves also vary considerably in colour: There are blue-green forms and grey-green from western Texas and bordering regions in New Mexico and completely blue forms from Nevada and Arizona. The leaves from Y.baccata are mostly straight and rigid, but some populations have twisted leaves. The size of the leaves from Texas plants are 30-50 cm long and 3 cm wide, others can be 80 cm long and 5,5 cm wide. The inflorescence is in the beginning of an attractive white and purple colour and about 80 cm long, the flowers are 4-10 cm long and about 2,5 cm wide, and produce very large fleshy, eatable fruits (seed pods). Normally the panicle measures twice the length of the leaves. Y.baccata is a very cold hardy yucca down to -29°C what makes it a widely used plant.

Like all yucca's they like sun and a well drained soil, in wet climates it is better to remove the panicle after a few weeks, as the flowers fall down in the crown and start rotting. The yucca is most vulnerable after flowering as the stalk leaves a hole through which rain water enters the hart which could lead to rot. When the old flower stalk has rotted away, it is better to seal the hole with cement; the new growing spears will push it aside.

In our webshop we sometimes have this yucca for sale

Authors drs C.N. Klijn and R.H. Smeets from Tropical Centre have studied yuccas in the wild and also then thousands of import yucca plants from everywhere in Mexico and the USA. Learn more about yuccas and our yucca background through the website buttons about us, photo-albums and newsletters. If you mention us, as the source you may use our descriptions and pictures.