Yucca gloriosa (Spanish Dagger)

Scientific Name

Yucca gloriosa L.

Common Names

Spanish Dagger, Adam's Needle, Lord's Candlestick, Mound Lily, Mound Lily Yucca, Palm Lily, Roman Candle, Sea Islands Yucca, Soft Tip Yucca, Soft Tipped Yucca, Spanish Bayonet, Tree Lily, Curve Leaf Yucca, Pendulous Yucca, Weeping Yucca

Scientific Classification

Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Agavoideae
Genus: Yucca

Description

Yucca gloriosa is an evergreen, medium-sized shrub, usually with single stem (rarely with several stems arising from the base), up to 8 feet (2.5 m) tall. The sword-like leaves are stiff, glaucous-green in color, up to 20 inches (50 cm) long and up to 2.8 inches (7 cm) wide at the base. The bell-shaped, creamy-white flowers, sometimes tinged with red or purple are borne on panicles up to 6.5 feet (2 m) long.

Hardiness

USDA hardiness zone 7a to 11b: from 0 °F (−17.8 °C) to 40 °F (+4.4 °C).

How to Grow and Care

Under the right conditions, Yucca are not difficult plants to grow. They tend to thrive on a little neglect, rather than too much attention. They are especially easy to overwater, and soggy stems are a sign of too much water. The best conditions for Yucca include a sunny corner with relatively low humidity. They are not prone to many pests, although scale can be an issue. Over time, plants will typically lose their lower leaves (in nature, they droop, forming a skirt around the trunk), giving the plant a pleasant "tree-like" appearance.

Yucca are relatively slow-growing plants that should only need to be repotted every other year. They do well slightly pot-bound, as long as they don't become heavy enough to tip over their containers… – See more at: How to Grow and Care for Yucca

Origin

Native to the southern United States, from North Carolina to Florida.

Subspecies, Varieties, Forms, Cultivars and Hybrids

• Yucca gloriosa 'Variegata'

Links

• Back to genus Yucca
• Succulentopedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus

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