Soaptree yucca

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Soaptree yucca
Large Soaptree yucca
Large Soaptree yucca
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Asparagales
Family: Agavaceae
Genus: Yucca
Species: Y. elata
Binomial name
Yucca elata
Engelm.
Flowers
Flowers

The Soaptree yucca (Yucca elata) is a perennial plant in the genus Yucca in the family Agavaceae. It is native to southwestern North America, in the Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan Desert in the United States (western Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and northern Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora).

This plant grows from 1.2-4.5 m tall, with a sparsely branched trunk. The trunk is brown, cylindrical in shape and has a small diameter and often has holes drilled by escaping Yucca moth larvae. The leaves are arranged in a dense spiral whorl at the apex of the stems, each leaf 25-95 cm long and very slender, 0.2-1.3 cm broad. The white, bell-shaped flowers grow in a dense cluster on a slender stem at the apex of the stem, each flower 32-57 mm long, creamy white, often tinged pinkish or greenish.

The Soaptree yucca's fruit is a capsule 4-8 cm long and 2-4 cm broad, maturing brown in summer, when it splits into three sections to release the black seeds. They do not flower every year.

There are three subspecies:

  • Yucca elata ssp. elata. Capsules large, 5-8 cm; leaves long, 30-95 cm. Throughout the species' range.
  • Yucca elata ssp. verdiensis. Capsules small, 4-4.5 cm; leaves short, 25-45 cm. Arizona only.
  • Yucca elata ssp. utahensis.

These plants fare best in dry, semi-desert conditions. They are very cold-hardy, but need lots of sunlight.

Yucca elata in White Sands, New Mexico
Yucca elata in White Sands, New Mexico

Contents

[edit] Distribution

In deserts, mostly in sandy soil, in 850-2,000 m altitude, growing together with other members of the genus such as Yucca faxoniana, Yucca baccata, Yucca arizonica, Yucca schottii, Yucca torreyi, various Agaves, as well as Toumeya papyracantha, Sclerocactus parviflorus etc.

[edit] Systematic

Section Chaenocarpa. Series Glaucae There are tree subspecies:

Yucca elata ssp. elata Representatives material studied: New Mexico, Union Co., fh 1176.1, Carizzo Mts., fh 1178.10, Las Cruzes area, fh 1178.33, Pedernal Mts., fh 1179.84, Arizona, Cottonwood, fh 1178.39. Texas, Del City, fh 1178.29, Alpine area, fh 1179.30, Cornudas, fh 1179.31, Wild Horse Draw, fh 1179.85. Yucca elata ssp. verdiensis Representatives material studied: Arizona, Taylor, fh 1179.33, Snowflake, fh 1179.80. Yucca elata ssp. utahensis Representatives material studied: Utah, Fort Pearce, fh 1179.49, Santa Clara River, fh 1179.50, Snow Canyon, fh 1181.50. fh: Fieldnumber Fritz Hochstätter.

[edit] Cultivation

Yucca elata and subspecies are winterhardy in central Europe. Exemplare can be seen in n Washington and in Canada, British Columbia.

[edit] Uses

Native Americans used the fiber of the Soaptree Yucca's leaves to weave baskets. Inside the trunk and roots of the plant is a soapy substance high in saponins. In the past, this was commonly used as a substitute for soap and shampoo. Also, in times of drought ranchers have used the plant as an emergency food supply for their cattle.

[edit] References