Yucca linearifolia, also called Y.linearis, is a special and still exclusive yucca which has been introduced by us on a big scale worldwide shortly after discovering. There are two species of Y.linearifolia, a green form wich is wide spread and was described in 1995, and a blue form that we discovered at one of our trips on a different location, this blue form grows in smaller numbers as the green form. The green linearifolia has its origin in northeastern Mexico in the state of Nuevo leon. It has flexible, short green leaves up to 30-50 cm long and 3 to 7 mm width, forming a perfectly spherical head. As you can read, there are also linearifolia's with very small leafs, some sellers using this to sell those plants as Yucca queretaoensis, but the leafs from Y.linearifolia bend, and from Y.queretaroensis breaks because those leafs are not flat, but square. The Yucca linearifolia forms a cluster of 3-5 smaller trunks around the central trunk and can grow up to 200-250 cm. This plant can withstand temperatures down to -15 degrees Celsius. Also this plant has some unique qualities what makes it different from other species. It is a yucca which forms multiple trunks at the base that can be increased via cuttings. So if through circumstances the base of the trunk is rotten, it can be cut off and the plant will make new roots via de outer trunklayer. Another remarkable quality is that if the crown is rotten you can treat it for mould and this plant will make new crowns. It is possible, and common, that in cultivation through other habitat enviroments or light, the green leaf color changes into blue. That does not mean that the green form than will be sold as the blue form. The green form has shorter leaves than the blue form, (blue form is 50-120 cm) and the green form is slow growing, the blue form is fast growing and more frost resistant -18°C.

As a matter of fact Yucca linearis was already described in 1905, as a variety of Yucca rostrata Engelmann ex Trelease because of the similarity in vegetative parts. Official sheets include flowers and leaves and did bear the name linearis. In 1985 David J. Ferguson also found this species, and found out that this was the Trelease described, and that it was not a variation of Y.rostrata but must be recognised as a special rank of Yucca linearis (Trelease) Ferguson, because it already had this name since 1905. But before Ferguson could finally publish his article in Cactus and Succulent Journal (U.S.), Vol. 68 in May 1996, naming it Yucca linearis, there appeared an article in Brittonia , Vol 47, in Dec. 1995, from K.H.Clary, were she described the same plant but gave it another name, Yucca linearifolia. Mr. Klijn, through his Tucson based nursery, already sold these sp. as Y. linearis, so the trade name spread before the article from Clary showed up. But the name Yucca liniarifolia has priority these days as the proper name at species rank, so we use this name now.

Ever since Tropical Centre merged with the nurseries of Mr. Klijn in Holland and the USA we distribute this remarkable sp. and have a spectacular stock of farm grown specimen size plants….both the blue and the green form.

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.