Yucca harrimaniae is a fairly small and highly variable yucca which grows on high plateaus and mountains in the southwest of the USA and is native to northern Arizona, New Mexico, southern Utah and Colorado at elevations of 2200-2600 m. It grows typically stemless, but short stems may occur, it forms only a rosette of leaves of 20-90 cm in diameter. The yellow to blue-green leaves are highly variable in length and are 10-45 cm long with a brownish marginal stripe from which white filaments appear, varying in length. The leaves are thin and rigid, but flexible. The inflorescence bares greenish white flowers and is 40-100 cm long. Y.harrimaniae is one of the most cold hardy yucca's, down to -8°C and in dry climates even down to -29°C.

At certain locations very attractive, compact forms occur. Sometimes described as Y.nana, sometimes as Y.harrimaniae compacta. Even nice blue compact forms exist as shown on the pictures Drs. C.N .Klijn made for Tropical Centre in Southern Utah. Seedlings of this exceptional Yucca have been produced by Tropical Centre.

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 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.