Yucca angustissima
| Yucca angustissima | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Yucca angustissima
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]. Seed is not produced in Britain unless the flowers are hand pollinated.
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]. Plants can succeed in light shade[K]. They are hardier when grown on poor sandy soils[3]. Established plants are very drought resistant, this species is also tolerant of damp weather[2].
Plants are not hardy in the colder areas of the country, they tolerate temperatures down to about -10° if in a suitable location[2][3].
Closely allied to Y. glauca[2]. The plant has a thick prostrate rootstock[2].
In the plants native environment, its flowers 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.
Individual crowns are monocarpic, dying after flowering[4]. However, the crown will usually produce a number of sideshoots before it dies and these will grow on to flower in later years[4].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[3].
Members of this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[4]
Range: South-western N. America.
Habitat: Desert areas in Arizona, 900 - 2100 metres.
Edibility: Fruit - the immature fruit is cooked[5]. Baked in an oven[6]. A bitter taste, the bitterness is in the skin[5]. The fruit is about 6cm long and 2.5cm wide[3].
Flowers - raw or cooked. They are delicious raw, or can be dried, crushed and used as a flavouring[5].
Flowering stem - peeled, cooked and used like asparagus. The whitish inner portion is used[5].
Usage: A fibre obtained from the leaves is used for making ropes, baskets and mats[5].
The leaves are very fibrous and can be used as paint brushes[7] or as a broom or woven to make mats etc[5]. They are also used in basketry[6].
The roots are rich in saponins and can be used as a soap substitute[5][6].
Pollinators: Hand
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates strong winds
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The roots contain saponins[8]. 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 3.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Whiting, Alfred. Ethnobotany of the Hopi. North Arizona Society of Science and Art, 1939.
- ↑ Balls, Edward. Early Uses of Californian Plants. University of California Press, 1975.
- ↑ Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.