Varieties of yucca: descriptions of plants with names and photos
Numerous varieties of yucca in nature inhabit a vast territory from Guatemala and Mexico to the province of Alberta in Canada. Plants with hard, thickened leaves can rightfully be considered one of the most hardy and adaptable representatives of the green world. They are not afraid of extreme temperatures, lack of water and nutrition in the soil. At the same time, yuccas or false palms have long attracted the attention of lovers of ornamental plants.
A significant part of 49 species and 24 subspecies adorn city squares and parks, areas near houses. Some, however, the smallest yuccas are spectacular indoor plants.
Yucca varieties and their features and notable qualities
The attention of flower growers and gardeners to culture was attracted by such valuable plant qualities as:
- striking undemandingness regarding both the conditions for planting and subsequent care;
- consistency of appearance throughout the year;
- spectacular shape, different in different species;
- lush bloom;
- the presence of variegated varieties with leaves in yellow, white and purple tones.
The usefulness of the plant was noticed by the American Indians long before gardeners and landscape designers. The roots of Yucca elata or soap tree are rich in saponins, and their decoction served as a kind of shampoo. Dry yucca leaves, the fiber obtained from the stems, was used to make fires and cover roofs.
Until now, in Mexico and other regions where yucca grows, the petals are used in cooking. After removing the pistil and the bitter base of the corolla, the flowers are blanched for about 5 minutes, and then stewed with tomato, chili and onions.
Growing area and adaptability of yucca
Adaptability, combined with the ability to accumulate moisture and protect itself from the harmful effects of the external environment, allows yucca to grow where other plants in most cases do not survive.
Representatives of the genus can be found in the Caribbean and Guatemala, where the local species Yucca guatemalensis has settled. In the zone of dry subtropics, the areas of the Gulf of Mexico and the coastal areas of the South Atlantic fall into the range, where in the barren wastelands it is easy to see Yucca filamentosa with thorny linear leaves and characteristic filaments on the rosette, which gave its name to its appearance.
Most of the plant's habitats are southern, tropical, subtropical regions. But several species can be grown outdoors in temperate climates. These are yucca filamentosa, flaccid, gloriosa and recurvifolia. The most northern is the variety of yucca shown in the photo with the name gray. She not only is not afraid of drought, but also survives in the Canadian, far from tropical climate.
All representatives of the genus were able to adapt to such a variety of climatic conditions:
- thick roots that accumulate moisture;
- a durable waxy coating on the leaves that prevents water evaporation and wilting;
- not falling dead leaves, covering the trunk like a skirt and protecting it from the sun;
- high density wood, hastily resists even fire and allows yuccas to quickly recover in extreme situations such as fires.
In temperate climates, these features help yuccas to endure cold snaps, short-term frosts and even snow, like the Schotta yucca or large-fruited.
The appearance and structure of different types of yucca
IN pots, as a houseplant, the smallest, undersized varieties of yucca are grown. Such specimens have a shortened or almost imperceptible trunk, and the leaves rarely grow longer than 40-60 cm. In nature, representatives of this genus can be real giants. Moreover, all small and large plants have common features - these are:
- strong thickened trunk, simple or branching;
- crowning stems apical rosettes of pointed rigid leaves;
- a spectacular peduncle that appears at the time of flowering, covered with dozens and hundreds of bell flowers of white, cream, yellowish or pinkish colors.
For the dried leaves dropping to the stem, a lush rosette of foliage at the top, resistance to heat and drought, yucca are called false palms. And the amazing flowering gave the plant another name - the desert lily. Certain species have their own popular nicknames, dictated by the peculiarities of the appearance or properties of the plant. For example, Joshua tree, Adam's needle, Spanish dagger.
Despite the unpretentiousness and amazing adaptability in Russia, not all varieties of yucca can be grown. Most often, filamentous yucca falls into the collection of lovers of exotic plants.
It tolerates the hardships of a temperate climate well, besides, selection work has made it possible to obtain varieties with gray leaves, as well as spectacular variegated forms. There are other yuccas in Russian flower beds, for example, gray and glorious.
On the windowsill inside the house, specimens of elephant and the aloe-leaf yucca shown in the photo are more often settled. They were chosen for their decorative and slow growth, which prevents plants from turning into real trees in a year or two. Descriptions of species and images of plants will help you understand their diversity, introduce you to the characteristic features and appearance of amazing "American women".
Yucca aloelist (Y. aloifolia)
Home to one of the most famous species, the aloe leaf yucca - dry regions in the United States and Mexico. Today, this plant is found in Bermuda, as well as in Jamaica. At the same time, yucca can be found not only in its characteristic corners, open to the sun and not distinguished by the richness of the soil, but also in park areas.
Young plants look like a bush. Their stem is practically undeveloped. An adult specimen, reaching a height of 6–8 m, takes the form of a weakly branching tree with dense rosettes of hard leaves, reminiscent of the greenery of another drought-resistant perennial - aloe... The edges of the elongated lanceolate leaf plates are covered with teeth. The tip is crowned with a larger thorn, visible at first glance, which makes the yucca prickly and requires careful handling.
The foliage that withers over time does not fall, but falls and remains to cover the stem. In nature, this helps the plant retain moisture and protect itself from the high temperatures in the desert.
Representatives of the Yucca aloifolia species bloom effectively. In summer, a tall peduncle is shown above the leaf rosette, ending in an inflorescence up to half a meter long. The flowers, white on the inside and creamy purple on the outside, are up to 3 cm long and resemble a bell or a lily in shape. After pollination by insects, in place of the flowers, berries begin to grow with many brown or almost black seeds.
Flower growers especially appreciate the aloe-leaved yucca thanks to variegated forms, allowing to diversify the home collection or garden flower bed.
Yucca variety Y. aloifolia purpurea stands out with purple or violet-gray leaves. The unusual coloring becomes most noticeable on young leaf plates. At the bottom of the rosette, the leaves are dark green.
On the leaves of Y. aloifolia variegata, rich green tones coexist with yellowish or almost white tones. A contrasting colored border runs along the very edge of the sheet plate.
Yucca glorious (Y. gloriosa)
On the southeastern coast of the United States, in the zone of subtropical dunes, yucca is found, popularly deserving several names at once. Thanks to the magnificent flowering, the glorious yucca is called the Roman candle. For its long, narrow, pointed leaves, the plant has long been compared to the Spanish dagger or bayonet.
Connoisseurs of ornamental plants appreciate the species for its low growth rate, simplicity and compactness. Specimens used for landscaping are most often in the form of a spherical bush or tree with one or more stems. Plants are not afraid of lack of water and frost down to –20 ° C.
The maximum height of Yucca gloriosa is five meters. The tops of the stems are decorated with rosettes of dark green, narrow leaves 30 to 50 cm long. Sharp leaves can be dangerous and injure if handled carelessly. This juice irritates sensitive skin and mucous membranes.
The variegated form of yucca bred by breeders has earned the prestigious Garden Merit Award, established by the British Royal Horticultural Society.
Yucca gray (Y. glauca)
Bear grass, Spanish bayonet or Great Plains yucca. So depicted in the photo, the blue yucca is called the inhabitants of several regions at once, from the Canadian prairies in Alberta to Texas and New Mexico.
An evergreen plant with tough, bluish or bluish-green leaves has a height of 50 cm to 2 m.At the edges of the foliage, peeling fibers are visible, as if tangling leaves up to 60 cm long.Yucca blooms annually, forming a meter-long peduncle covered with hanging, greenish or white flowers about 5 cm long.
The crushed yucca root is used by the local Indians for washing and laundry, and the strong fibrous leaves are excellent material for woven mats, ropes and baskets. And the green seed pods are edible.
Yucca elephant (Y. elephantipes)
Not all yucca species are native to North America. From Mexico to Nicaragua and even Ecuador, you can find the elephant or giant yucca shown in the photo.
The variety discovered in the 19th century has several important differences from the plants described above. It:
- a trunk thickened in the lower part, resembling an elephant's leg;
- belt-shaped, non-thorny leaves up to 120 cm long.
Plants, which in nature reach a height of 6-9 meters, grow and become powerful trees. Under indoor conditions, due to the slow growth, flower growers manage to keep yucca in a more modest size, although Yucca elephantipes plants practically do not bloom.
Paniculate inflorescences appear only on adult specimens. After pollination, the white flowers that open in summer turn into oval fleshy fruits with a length of 2 to 3 m.
For lovers of exotic species, several varieties of elephant yucca have been created, among which there are variegated plants of the “Silver Star” variety. Their leaves have a yellowish or whitish border around the edge.
Yucca high (Y. elata)
The previous variety is not the only large yucca worthy of becoming a kind of record holder. Yucca radiant or tall grows up to 1.5-4 meters in height, while the inflorescence is much larger than that of congeners. The height of the peduncle sometimes exceeds a meter. The flowers that form a paniculate inflorescence are white, pinkish or creamy in color.
Short-leaved yucca (Y. brevifolia)
In the states of Nevada, California, Utah and Arizona, short-leaved yucca grows, which has become a kind of living symbol in these arid regions. Thousands of nature lovers come to Joshua Trees National Park to admire:
- powerful fancifully branched trunks;
- evergreen leaves;
- dense inflorescences-panicles with greenish or white flowers appearing in spring.
The tree-like yucca grows only a few centimeters per year, while the most outstanding specimens are 15 meters high and have a trunk diameter of about half a meter.
Yucca Trekulya (Y. treculeana)
The large yucca Trekula, reaching 10 meters in height, is native to Texas and New Mexico. Like other varieties, the plant is slowly gaining in growth.And having matured, it takes on majestic forms and blooms spectacularly. Collected in a paniculate inflorescence, bell-shaped flowers can be white, pinkish or purple on the outside of the corollas.
Thanks to the pointed blue-green leaves about a meter long, the plant received the informal name "Spanish dagger" or "spear of Don Quixote".
Yucca filamentous (Y. filamentosa)
The homeland of this species is Texas, as well as territories from Virginia to Florida. However, today the plant can be seen far from the North American continent. For example, in Italy, Turkey and France. Due to its unpretentiousness and cold resistance, the filamentous yucca shown in the photo was naturalized. It has taken root well in southern Europe, the Middle East and even further north.
Compared to its tree-like relatives, the plant is quite small. An evergreen shrub with a shortened, sometimes invisible trunk and blue-green belt-shaped leaves reaches a height of 70–80 cm. Such dimensions, combined with a powerful root that goes deep into the soil, help yucca to survive cold snaps and short-term frosts down to –20 ° C.
Yucca filamentous varieties Excalibur
A characteristic feature of this variety, which gave the yucca its specific name, is the thin white threads along the edge of the leaf plates. For a relatively small plant in early summer, yucca forms an impressive flower stalk up to three meters long. It is crowned with a panicle inflorescence of white or slightly yellowish bells.
Yucca varieties Golden sword
The species is pollinated by the butterfly Tegeticula yuccasella, which lives only in North America. In other regions, viable seeds can be obtained using artificial pollination.
However, more often filamentous yucca is propagated with the help of root suckers. When planting in open ground, you need to take into account that it will not be so easy to devote the plant. Parts of a deep-lying root are capable of producing young shoots for many years.
Filamentous yucca Color Guard
The variegated yucca shown in the photo belongs to the Color Guard variety, the leaves of which are decorated with wide yellow stripes in summer. In winter, purple, pink, violet tones appear in the color.
Yucca yellow varieties Bright Edge
Plants with variegated or colored leaves are of particular interest to florists and botanists. The bright leaf rosette of the British Award of Garden Merit variety, Bright Edge, makes the yucca pictured yellow. The unusual color is most noticeable on young leaves; as they mature, the green stripes become wider.
Yucca filamentosa varieties Ivory Tower
Another unusual yucca is the Ivory Tower variety. Named for its wide white stripes on the leaves and gorgeous creamy white flowers. A photo of colored yucca gives a visual representation of the richness of the palette and decorativeness of the plant.
Yucca beak (Y. rostrata)
One of the most hardy representatives of the genus is the yucca rostrat or beak-shaped. A plant with a powerful trunk up to 4.5 meters high and narrow leaves, only 1 cm wide. It is native to Texas and a number of Mexican states. The plant is prized for its ability to withstand high and low temperatures. Calmly reacts to lack of moisture and excess solar radiation and is often used for landscaping.
Adult specimens bloom, forming a meter-long peduncle with a lush inflorescence, consisting of hundreds of white drooping bell flowers.
Southern Yucca (Y. australis)
Europeans discovered the plant in the middle of the 19th century. Since ancient times, the local population has used leaves for the manufacture of roofs and strong fiber. Baskets, mats and other utensils were woven from it.
As an indigenous inhabitant of the Chihuahua Desert in Mexico, yucca is perfectly adapted to the harsh hot and dry climate. Hard leaves up to half a meter in length almost do not evaporate moisture. The powerful trunk is hidden behind a skirt of dry foliage. In early spring, when there is moisture in the soil, dangling inflorescences of creamy white flowers appear on the tops of the leaf rosettes.