Yucca aloifolia
| Yucca aloifolia | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 25' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Yucca aloifolia (common name: spanish bayonet)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Pre-soaking the seed for 24 hours in warm water may reduce the germination time. It usually germinates within 1 - 12 months if kept at a temperature of 20°c. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse or cold frame for at least their first two winters. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer and consider giving them some winter protection for at least their first winter outdoors - a simple pane of glass is usually sufficient[K].
Root cuttings in late winter or early spring. Lift in April/May and remove small buds from base of stem and rhizomes. Dip in dry wood ashes to stop any bleeding and plant in a sandy soil in pots in a greenhouse until established[1].
Cultivation: Thrives in any soil but prefers a sandy loam and full exposure to the south[2]. They can succeed in light shade[K]. Plants are hardier when grown on poor sandy soils[3]. Established plants are very drought resistant[2].
A very ornamental plant[4], it is only hardy in the mildest areas of Britain tolerating temperatures down to about -10°c if in a suitable site[2][3]. It requires greenhouse protection in most of the country[4].
Members of this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[5].
The flowers of most members of this genus can only be pollinated by a certain species of moth. This moth cannot live in Britain and, if fruit and seed is required, hand pollination is necessary. This can be quite easily and successfully done using something like a small paint brush. This species, however, does not require the Yucca moth for pollination and will set fruit without hand pollination[2]. The flowers open at night[6] and are powerfully fragrant at this time[7].
Individual crowns are monocarpic, dying after flowering[5]. However, the crown will usually produce a number of sideshoots before it dies and these will grow on to flower in later years[5].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[3].
Range: Southeastern N. America - North Carolina to Florida, west to Louisiana. Naturalized in S. Europe[2]
Habitat: Sand dunes of the coast, occasionally up to 60 km inland, in pine forests[8]. Also found on the margins of brackish marshes[6].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[9]. A thick, succulent mass of bitter-sweet juicy flesh[8]. The fruit is up to 10 cm long and 4cm wide[6].
Flowers - raw or cooked[10]. They are delicious raw, or can be dried, crushed and used as a flavouring. A crisp texture[11].
Flowering stem - peeled and boiled[10][11]. Used like asparagus.
Medicinal: The fruit is purgative[12].
The boiled and mashed root, mixed with oil, has been used as a salve in the treatment of various complaints[9].
Usage: A fibre obtained from the leaves is used for making ropes, baskets and mats[13].
Narrow, split leaf strips have been used as sewing material for coiled plaques[9].
The leaves have been used in several types of basketry[9].
The leaf splints have been used as brushes to apply colour to pottery[9].
The leaves can be split and used as a temporary string[9].
The roots are rich in saponins and can be used as a soap substitute. They are crushed and then placed in water to form suds that are used in bathing and shampooing[9].
The juice from the plant has been used as a varnish[9].
Pollinators: Self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates strong winds
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The roots contain saponins[14]. Whilst saponins are quite toxic to people, they are poorly absorbed by the body and so tend to pass straight through. They are also destroyed by prolonged heat, such as slow baking in an oven. Saponins are found in many co
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References
- ↑ Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Buchanan, Rita. A Weavers Garden.
- ↑ Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.