From en.wikipedia.org:
[Plant genus in the agave subfamily] [good article] [the genus comprising
species of perennials, shrubs, and trees] [date=May 2025] {{Automatic taxobox
| image = Yucca elata - tmcelrath 01.jpg | image_alt = A plant with many
narrow, sharply pointed leaves at the base of the plant pointing outwards in
every direction to form a rough ball shape. From the center of the plant an
inflorescence extends upwards almost twice as tall as the leaves, branching
halfway up with many white flowers that hang downward. It is growing in an
area of white sand with very little vegetation. | image_caption = _Yucca
elata_ in White Sands National Park, New Mexico | taxon = Yucca | authority =
L. | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See List of _Yucca_ species
| range_map = Yucca genus range.svg | range_map_caption = _Yucca_ in North
America[POWO 2025b] | synonyms_ref = [POWO 2025b] | synonyms = {{Collapsible
list | {{Genus list
| Clistoyucca | (Engelm.) Trel.
| Codonocrinum | Willd. ex Schult. & Schult.f.
| Samuela | Trel.
| Sarcoyucca | (Trel.) Linding.
| Matuda-pina | Hochstätter
}} }} }}
_YUCCA_ ([ˈ] [YUCK]) is both the scientific name and common name for a genus
native to North America from Panama to southern Canada. It contains 50
accepted species. In addition to yucca, they are also known as ADAM'S NEEDLE
or SPANISH-BAYONET. The genus is generally classified in the asparagus family
in a subfamily with the _Agave_, though historically it was part of the lily
family. The species range from small shrubby plants to tree-like giants, such
as the Joshua tree. All yuccas have rosettes of leaves that taper to points
and inflorescences with many flowers that are mainly cream white with thick
petals. Though adapted to a wide range of climates the plants are xerophytes,
ones that specialize in dry living conditions.
The tight relationship between the yucca plants and their pollinators, the
yucca moths from the genera _Tegeticula_ and _Parategeticula_, is a well known
example of evolutionary mutualism. They are an important part of the ecology
of North American deserts, providing shelter to small animals and creating
habitats. The human uses of yuccas include garden plants, as food, and for
extracts. The flower petals of various species are eaten as a part of local
cuisine, particularly in Central America and Mexico. Historically, the yucca
was extensively used for its fibers to make cords, baskets, mats, and sandals.
It continues to be used by native peoples for traditional soaps.
** Description
Yuccas are perennial plants with long, pointed sword shaped leaves in one or
more rosettes, circular arrangements of leaves. Usually the leaves are stiff
and fibrous, but a few species have fleshy leaves.[Hess & Robbins 2020a] The
leaves are numerous and arranged in spirals at the ends of stems or
branches.[Welsh et al. 1987] Plants can be small shrubs or large resembling
trees.[Heil et al. 2013] The surface of the leaves are hairless, but some
have a very rough surface. About half of all species have fibers that peel
off the edges of the leaves. Their color can be bright green, gray-green, or
pale blue.[Irish] The leaves never have spines on their edges, but may be very
finely toothed.[Ingram] Some yucca species reproduce by underground rhizomes
and form colonies of plants,[Irish] but this feature is rare in the
fleshy-fruited yuccas, which will usually produce new sprouts at the base of
the plant from nodule-like growths.[Webber]
Plants without stems or trunks grow from a thick underground caudex, a
modified stem with growth at the end like in a palm tree.[Churchill] Species
that do not have trunks tend to be found in colder areas such as the Rocky
Mountains, Great Plains, and eastern United States. Species with trunks are
more common in the subtropics, deserts, and tropics to the south.[Irish] The
largest of these tree yuccas is _Yucca brevifolia_, commonly known as the
Joshua tree in the American southwest.[Linford] The Joshua tree can reach up
to [15] in height.[Hess & Robbins 2020b] Every species grows in soil, except
for _Yucca lacandonica_, which grows as an epiphyte.[Thiede]
Some species have a scape, a long flowering stem without any leaves or bracts
along its length. These are always less than [2.5] in diameter. The
inflorescence is usually upright, but in a few species bends over and hangs
downward. The inflorescence can be a panicle, where the flowers are on
branches off the main stem, or a raceme, where the flowers are attached
directly by flower stalks to the main stem.[Hess & Robbins 2020a] Though the
plants live for many years and flower multiple times, each inflorescence dies
after setting seed.[Thiede]
The flowers are large and showy, ranging from bell shaped to round like a
globe.[Heil et al. 2013] The six tepals are white to cream or slightly green
in color.[Thiede] They are thick and leathery in texture, and in many species
the three outermost tepals will have red, pink, maroon, purple, or brown
streaks.[Irish]
In about half of the species the fruit is a dry capsule. In the other half,
it is a fleshy fruit. Inside the fruit, the seeds are tightly packed, flat,
and black in color.[Irish] Dry capsules are held in an upright position while
soft capsules hang downwards.[Heil et al. 2013]
Due to similar characteristics of many species it is difficult to identify
them without flowers or fruits. Many characteristics taken together are
needed to make identifications, often including the size and color of the
pistil, style, and flowers while alive.[Heil et al. 2013] Yuccas are distinct
from _Agave_ due to typically having less succulent leaves, thicker flower
petals, and a lack of spines on leaf edges.[Ingram]
<gallery mode=packed caption="Gallery of forms" heights=180px> Yucca
carnerosana 2024-01-20 Malaga 04.jpg|Underside of leaves, giant Spanish dagger
(_Yucca carnerosana_) Yucca elata seed pod.jpg|The dry capsule of soaptree
yucca (_Yucca elata_), open with the flat black seeds inside Yucca schidigera
24.jpg|_Yucca schidigera_ fruit, Blue Diamond Hill Red Rock Canyon National
Conservation Area, southern Nevada (MHNT) Yucca rostrata -
inflorescence.jpg|Branched inflorescence on beaked yucca Narrowleaf Yucca
(6550984917).jpg|Simple inflorescence on Narrowleaf yucca </gallery>
** Taxonomy
_Yucca_ was first described and named by Carl Linnaeus in his book _Species
Plantarum_, published in 1753.[POWO 2025b] The first work on the genus as a
whole was published by George Engelmann in 1873.[Irish] A lectotype for the
genus, a specimen of _Yucca aloifolia_, was designated by Nathaniel Lord
Britton and John Adolph Shafer in 1908.[Thiede]
In 1902 William Trelease published a paper separating out _Clistoyucca_ and
_Samuela_ from _Yucca_,[Hess & Robbins 2020a] along with his 1893 separation
of _Hesperoyucca_ from the genus.[POWO 2025a] Susan Delano McKelvey argued
against this separation, though she recognized them as sections of _Yucca_.
McKelvey did allow that _Hesperoyucca_ might be recognized as a genus writing,
"since a number of flower and fruit characters differ from those in all other
sections". DNA investigations in the 1990s found support for
_Hesperoyucca_.[Hess & Robbins 2020a] As of 2025, _Hesperoyucca_ is listed as
accepted.[POWO 2025a]
Prior to the 1950s _Yucca_ was placed in Liliaceae, the lily family, due to
having a superior ovary. Since that time, evidence of it being more closely
related to the _Agave_ genus has been accepted.[Thiede] In particular, the
discovery that _Yucca_, like plants in _Agave_, has 5 large and 20 small
chromosomes was a large factor in reconsidering their relationship.[Oldfield]
The APG III system, published in 2009, placed the genus into the family
Asparagaceae in the Agavoideae subfamily.[Chase] This classification continued
in APG IV.[Angiosperm Phylogeny Group 2016] However, some botanists prefer to
classify this subfamily as a family named Agavaceae.[Thiede]
*** Species
[List of Yucca species [!] List of _Yucca_ species] [2025] Plants of the World
Online (POWO) and World Flora Online (WFO) both list 50 valid species.[POWO
2025b][WFO 2025a] In addition, POWO lists three other species, _Yucca
jaegeriana_ [(McKelvey) L.W.Lenz], _Yucca muscipula_ [Ayala-Hern., Ríos-Gómez,
E.Solano & García-Mend.], and _Yucca pinicola_ [Zamudio],[POWO 2025b] that WFO
lists as unchecked or as a synonym of another species.[WFO 2025b][WFO
2025c][WFO 2025d] There are also two natural hybrids, _Yucca_ × _schottii_,
which was formerly listed as a species under various names, and _Yucca_ ×
_quinnarjenii_.[WFO 2025e][POWO 2025c]
<gallery mode=packed caption="Gallery of species" heights=180px> Joshua Tree
NP - Joshua Tree 2.jpg|Joshua tree (_Yucca brevifolia_), Joshua Tree National
Park Tree Yucca (Yucca filifera) (53497440645).jpg|Tree yucca (_Yucca
filifera_), Tula National Park Yucca schidigera 29.jpg|Mojave yucca (_Yucca
schidigera_) Spring Mountains, southern Nevada </gallery>
*** Names
In 1737 Linnaeus, in setting out his rules for the names of genera, wrote,
"Generic names which have not a root derived from Greek or Latin are to be
rejected".[Stearn] However, in the case of _Yucca_ and several other names, he
violated his own rule by adopting names derived from other languages.[Stearn]
The word was borrowed from the Carib language by Spanish as _juca_, starting
with Amerigo Vespucci in 1497 referring to cassava.[OED 2025] It was first
used to refer to the unrelated plants of the genus _Yucca_ in a German travel
account published in 1557.[Thiede] This was used as the genus name by Linnaeus
in _Species Plantarum_.[Hess & Robbins 2020a][POWO 2025b]
The name _yucca_ is used as an English common name for plant species in the
genus. It is pronounced [ˌ] (YUCK-uh) in both British English and American
English, but may also be pronounced [ˌ] (YOO-kuh) in British English.[OED
2025] It is also known as _Adam's needle_ or as _Spanish-bayonet_.[OED
2025][Hess & Robbins 2020a] Other common names for some species include
_Spanish dagger_, _shin dagger_, _soapweed_, or _soaptree_.[OED 2025][Heil et
al. 2013] In the plant trade they are sometimes known as _palm
lilies_.[Thiede] The name yucca can be confused with cassava, though the
spelling _yuca_ is often used to distinguish the food from plants in
_Yucca_.[OED 2025]
The Aztecs living in Mexico call the local yucca species [Nah] in Nahuatl,
which gave the Spanish [es].[RAE]
** Range and habitat
The natural range of the yuccas stretches across much of southern North
America from Panama in the south as far north as Alberta in Canada.[POWO
2025b] The exact extent is disputed as though _Yucca gigantea_ is listed by
Plants of the World Online (POWO) and World Flora Online (WFO) as native to
Central America,[POWO 2025b][WFO 2025a] other sources like World Plants list
it as introduced to all the nations of Central America.[Hassler 2025]
Likewise, _Yucca flaccida_ is listed as native to Ontario by POWO, WFO, and
World Plants,[POWO 2025b][WFO 2025a][Hassler 2025] but is listed by the
Database of Vascular Plants of Canada as introduced.[VASCAN 2025]
Yuccas are generally accepted to be introduced to the islands Caribbean.[POWO
2025b][WFO 2025a] Various species have also escaped from cultivation in Europe
as far east as Poland and Romania. They grow as an introduced species in
Turkey, Pakistan, and Bangladesh in Asia. In Africa they are reported in
Tunisia and KwaZulu-Natal and Free State in South Africa. They have been
introduced to South America in Ecuador, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Argentina.[POWO
2025b] In Australia Aloe yucca (_Yucca aloifolia_) has naturalized in Western
Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory.
It is doubtfully naturalized on Lord Howe Island and naturalized on Norfolk
Island.[APC 2025a] Two other species, _Yucca gloriosa_ and _Yucca whipplei_,
may also be naturalized in Australia.[APC 2025b][APC 2025c] They are listed as
an environmental weed in New Zealand having been found 31 times outside of
cultivation.[McAlpine]
The yuccas are xerophytic, plants with adaptations to dry environments, with
even those native to rainy habitats growing better when in drier
areas.[Guillot Ortiz] The smaller, freeze-tolerant species of yucca have two
centers of diversity, one in Texas and the other on the Colorado Plateau.
They are found generally to the north and east of the range in Chihuahuan
Desert, the Trans-Pecos region, the Rocky Mountains, the Colorado Plateau, and
the Great Plains. Tree-like yuccas with fleshy fruits have a center of
diversity in the Sonoran Desert. They are found mainly in Mexico, while the
tree like yuccas with spongy fruits are found only in the Mojave
Desert.[Clary]
** Ecology
Yuccas have a very specialized mutualistic system of pollination.[Irish] Yucca
moths in genus _Tegeticula_ or _Parategeticula_ pollinate the flowers and then
lay their eggs in the seed capsules of yuccas.[Smith] Some species of
_Tegeticula_ provide no benefit to the yuccas, laying eggs but not pollinating
the flowers due to lacking the specialized parts for carrying pollen.[Althoff
et al. 2006] Almost all species are pollinated by one or more species of
these moths with one species, Aloe yucca (_Yucca aloifolia_), documented to
revert away from mutualism to a generalist pollinator when the moths are
absent.[Smith][Rentsch] This mutualism was first documented by Charles
Valentine Riley in 1873,[Smith] and its discovery elicited much excitement in
the scientific community. In a 1874 letter to his friend Joseph Dalton
Hooker, Darwin called it "the most wonderful case of fertilisation ever
published".[Smith]
Instances of animal behavior that are exclusively aimed at pollination of
plants, rather than just accompanying the animal gathering food, are quite
rare. Female yucca moths have tentacle-like mouth parts that they use to
gather pollen and then to deposit it on the reproductive parts.[Smith] In the
150 years following the discovery of this relationship it became one of the
most famous of the documented plant and animal mutualisms along with the fig
wasps and fig trees.[Smith] The association between the yuccas and the yucca
moths is quite ancient, with a molecular clock estimate that it began between
51.3 and 31.7 million years ago with them becoming pollinators 35.6 million
years ago ±9 million years.[Pellmyr]
About two-thirds of the moth species are limited to just one species of yucca.
There is some evidence that the moths that visit a single species are guided
to the flowers by distinct scents. All yucca moths species gather together
inside of blooms to mate. The females of _Tegeticula_ gather pollen and then
pierce the yucca ovaries or styles to lay their eggs. After this, they
deposit their load of pollen to ensure the development of seeds. The female
_Parategeticula_ moths cut grooves into flower stems, petals, or other parts
to lay their eggs, but also use their mouthparts to deposit pollen on stigmas
and into styles.[Smith] In order to limit the numbers of seeds eaten by moth
larvae, yucca plants abort fruits with large numbers of eggs deposited within
them, but also drop fruits without sufficient pollination produce minimal
number of seeds.[Pellmyr]
Though the reduction or local extinction of yucca moths can reduce the
fertility of seeds or the numbers produced, there is not yet evidence that it
reduces the populations of yuccas as they are relatively long lived.[Oldfield]
The scientist Robert William Cruden and his collaborators speculated in 1976
that yucca species are limited to lower elevations by the inability of their
moth pollinators to tolerate colder temperatures at high elevations.[Addicott]
Yuccas continue to be an important subject of study because of the simple
coevolutionary competition and their relatively exclusive
relationship.[Pellmyr]
Besides the yucca moths, a number of other insect species depend upon yuccas
for food.[Thiede] The bogus yucca moths (_Prodoxus_) lay their eggs on yucca
species, but do not pollinate the flowers. They also do not eat the seeds,
instead feeding on fruits, stems, or leaves, frequently forming gall-like
structures.[Smith] Yucca species are the host plants for the caterpillars of
the widespread but uncommon yucca giant-skipper butterfly (_Megathymus
yuccae_), which is found across the southern United States and northern
Mexico.[Daniels] The ursine giant skipper butterfly (_Megathymus ursus_), from
southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, western Texas, and Nuevo León, feeds on
yuccas such as Schott's yucca (_Yucca_ × _schottii_) and datil yucca (_Yucca
baccata_), as does the more northerly Strecker's giant skipper (_Megathymus
streckeri_), though it prefers smaller species of yucca.[Opler] The giant
skippers (Megathymini) are species that feed in the roots of yuccas and inside
the leaves of agaves.[Cong et al. 2019] Beetle herbivores include yucca
weevils in the family Curculionidae.[Chamorro] Some species of darkling beetle
(Tenebrionidae) also feed on parts related to the stigma or the parts
connecting them to the ovary as well as mating inside the flowers.[Thiede]
In desert environments, yuccas are an important part of the ecology, improving
the environment by enriching the soil with organic material and reducing
erosion. The shelter the yuccas provide attracts small animals, and their
waste and remains concentrate nutrients in the immediately surrounding areas,
creating a microhabitat alongside small plants.[Webber] Tree-like species of
yucca, such as the Joshua tree, provide nesting sites for birds and materials
for small rodents. Their fallen trunks provide shelter for lizards.[Gray] In
the plains biome, species like _Yucca glauca_ provide perches for birds as
well as cover for small birds, small reptiles, and small mammals.[Rohde et al.
2021] In the plains, yuccas are not a significant source of food for either
native grazers or for livestock,[Rohde et al. 2021] but in desert
environments cattle will learn to avoid the sharp ends of the leaves and eat
the base instead.[Webber] Similarly, goats will eat the whole head of leaves
when there is no other forage available.[Webber] Under heavy grazing pressure
grasses in the southwest are replaced by resistant native shrubs.[Heil et al.
2013]
Yucca seeds remain viable for many years in the environment due to being well
protected and having plenty of energy reserves. To start germination they
require a large amount of moisture.[Webber] Due to the scarcity of water in
much of their habitat the reproduction of yuccas by seed is limited and the
majority of new plants sprout from rhizomes.[Alexander]
*** Conservation
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, only five
species are endangered: plains yucca (_Yucca campestris_),[Puente] nodding
yucca (_Yucca cernua_),[Clary et al. 2020] quim (_Yucca
lacandonica_),[Ayala-Hernández] pitilla (_Yucca endlichiana_),[Solano] and
_Yucca queretaroensis_.[Hernández Sandoval et al. 2020]
** Uses
Yuccas are widely grown as ornamental plants in gardens and
landscaping.[Thiede] Yucca plants have provided food and fibers to humans.
Several yucca species have fleshy fruits that are edible, although the seeds
they contain are not. Additionally, the flowers are edible both cooked and
raw. The young flowering stems of some species are edible when cooked. The
leaves, roots, stems, and hearts of the plants are all inedible due to high
levels of saponins.[Tull]
Yucca rhizomes have been extensively used to produce soaps, shampoos,
detergents and are still used to a lesser extent for this today.[Oldfield] The
leaves are still used to make trays and baskets in the southwestern
US.[Buchanan] Research efforts have been made into making use of the fibers as
a substitute for sisal or abacá. Efforts to cultivate existing North American
yucca plants for their fibers were abandoned after conclusion of the Second
World War.[Buchanan] While the strength of yucca fibers is good, their harvest
is uneconomical unless alternatives are unavailable.[Webber]
Yucca extract, specifically from the rhizomes of Mojave yucca (_Yucca
schidigera_), is used as a foaming agent in some beverages such as root beer
and soda.[Tanaka et al. 1996] Yucca powder is produced from yucca plants.
Harvested logs are squeezed and the sap produced is then evaporated to produce
the powder, which is used in food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and as animal
feed additives.[Bononi et al. 2013] The extract is also used to reduce
surface tension in water to allow it to more easily penetrate into heavy soils
during irrigation.[Webber]
*** Cultivation
Very soon after the start of the Columbian exchange of plants across the
Atlantic Ocean, yuccas were planted in European gardens as ornamental plants
with the first recorded bloom in England in 1604.[Irish] Though they were
planted for productive uses in Mexico prior to the Spanish Conquest, it is not
recorded if they used them for ornamental purposes.[Irish] The use of yucca as
an ornamental was not well documented in the early early history of the United
States, though Thomas Jefferson did grow _Yucca filamentosa_, which he called
bear grass.[Irish]
The spineless yucca (_Yucca gigantea_) is used as a common houseplant, though
sometimes under the mistaken name of _Yucca elephantipes_.[Hodgson] When
tropical yuccas are grown indoors they do not reach the large sizes they can
achieve outdoors.[Oakes]
Yuccas are widely grown as architectural plants in landscape design due to the
distinctive silhouette of their leaves.[Nottle] They are also particularly
valued for their resistance to high temperatures and drought
conditions.[Francko] They tolerate a range of conditions but are best grown in
full sun in subtropical or mild temperate areas.[Brickell] Some of the larger
species of yucca are used as living barriers and fences.[Oldfield] All yuccas
require good drainage, but are tolerant of difficult conditions such as dry
and poor soils.[Nottle] In cold climates when there is enough precipitation to
collect in the crown of the yucca plant, the freeze-thaw cycle can damage the
plant and provide an entry for damaging fungi or bacteria.[Francko]
Several species of yucca can be grown outdoors in temperate climates,
including:[Brickell][Francko] [colwidth=15em]
- _Yucca filamentosa_
- _Yucca flaccida_
- _Yucca glauca_
- _Yucca gloriosa_
- _Yucca recurvifolia_
- _Yucca rostrata_
- _Yucca_ × _schottii_
- _Yucca treculeana_
[div col end]
*** Gastronomy
The flower petals are commonly eaten in Central America and Mexico, but the
plant's reproductive organs (the anthers and ovaries) are first removed
because of their bitterness.[Pieroni][Spurrier] Petals have a flavor
reminiscent of lettuce.[Dunmire]
In addition to being called [es] in Mexico, yucca flowers are also called [es]
(palm flowers) in Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí, [es], [es], or [es] in
Veracruz, and [es] in Tamaulipas. In rural central Mexico, they are eaten as
food, as they were in pre-Hispanic times. Bunches are sold in public markets
and eaten while very fresh and tender, before they become bitter. They are
also cooked with scrambled eggs or in green chili salsa in this area.[Muñoz
Zurita]
Another way that yucca flowers are served is in a sauce after roasting where
they are called [es] in [es]. It is served this way as a snack or with salads
in the Los Tuxtlas region of Veracruz.[Muñoz Zurita] In the northern Mexican
state of Coahuila, yucca flowers are considered a traditional food for
Lent.[Muñoz Zurita]
In Guatemala, they are boiled and eaten with lemon juice. In El Salvador, the
tender tips of stems are eaten and known locally as [es].[Pieroni]
These Central American and Mexican culinary traditions have been imported to
the United States to areas such as Los Angeles where the flowers of the giant
yucca are eaten in season in scrambled eggs, pupusas, and tacos. Before being
used as an ingredient, the petals are often blanched for five minutes, though
they are also eaten raw in small amounts.[Spurrier]
In Mexico, the fleshy fruits of some yucca species are called [es], the same
word as for the fruit of the date palm, though they are unrelated. These
fruits are used to produce alcoholic drinks.[Muñoz Zurita] The edible fruit of
the banana yucca becomes significantly sweeter when cooked. If puréed it is
similar to applesauce.[Zachos] Raw fruits have a flavor similar to
straightneck squash.[Dunmire]
*** Traditional uses
Yuccas were and are one of the most important plants outside of cultivation
for both ancient and contemporary native peoples in the Southwestern US. They
have a wide range of uses, from fibers to food. Some of these uses are in
fishing nets, in making paintbrushes, in combs, sandals, mats, blankets, and
sewing.[Dunmire] The dried and split trunks of yuccas are soft and work well
for a hearth in starting fires via friction.[Wescott] The use of items woven
from yucca leaves dates from the archaic period, 8000 to
1000[Spaces]BCE.[Dunmire]
The young stalks of the soaptree yucca (_Yucca elata_) have been consumed by
the Mescalero Apache. They are roasted over an open fire and then peeled to
eat the soft interior.[Tull] The flower stalks of Great Plains yucca (_Yucca
glauca_) have been prepared similarly as recorded in the 1930s.[Castetter] The
flowers of the same species were frequently boiled to remove their bitter
flavor or the flower pistil, the most bitter part, was removed.[Tull] The
cooking of banana yucca fruits has continued to the present day among the
Hopi. The use of yucca shampoo for hair and to wash traditional rugs
continues with the Navajo. The Jicarilla Apaches will similarly use it to
clean woven baskets.[Dunmire]
** Symbolism
The yucca flower is the state flower of New Mexico in the southwestern United
States. No species name is given in the law;[New Mexico Legislature 2025]
however, the Secretary of State of New Mexico website notes that the soaptree
yucca (_Yucca elata_) is one of the more widespread species in New
Mexico.[NMOSOS] It was officially designated as the state flower in 1927 by
the state legislature after a survey of state students with the support of the
New Mexico Federation of Women's Clubs.[NMOSOS]
The yucca, specifically _Yucca gigantea_, is the national flower of El
Salvador, where it is known as [es].[Spurrier] It was officially designated
the floral emblem in 1995.[Castro] Salvadorans often compare their ability to
recover from periods of repression to the ability of the flor de izote to grow
back after being cut.[Murray]
** References
*** Citations
[reflist]
*** Sources
**** Books
[30em]
- [last1=Addicott ]
- [last1=Alexander ]
- [date=2003 ]
- [last1=Buchanan ]
- [last1=Churchill ]
- [last1=Dunmire ]
- [last1=Francko ]
- [last1=Guillot Ortiz ]
- [last1=Heil ]
- [last1=Ingram ]
- [last1=Irish ]
- [last1=Linford ]
- [last1=Murray ]
- [last1=Muñoz Zurita ]
- [last1=Nottle ]
- [last1=Oakes ]
- [date=1997 ]
- [last1=Opler ]
- [last1=Pieroni ]
- [last1=Stearn ]
- [last1=Tanaka ]
- [last1=Thiede ]
- [last1=Tull ]
- [last1=Webber ]
- [last1=Welsh ]
- [last1=Wescott ]
[Refend]
**** Journals
[30em]
- [last1=Althoff ]
- [last1=Angiosperm Phylogeny Group ]
- [last1=Bononi ]
- [last1=Castetter ]
- [last1=Chamorro ]
- [last1=Chase ]
- [last1=Clary ]
- [last1=Cong ]
- [last1=Gray ]
- [last1=Pellmyr ]
- [last1=Pellmyr ]
- [last1=Pellmyr ]
- [last1=Rentsch ]
- [last1=Rohde ]
- [last1=Smith ]
[Refend]
**** News sources
[30em]
- [last1=Spurrier ]
[Refend]
**** Reports
[30em]
- [last1=McAlpine ]
[Refend]
**** Web sources
[30em]
- [last1=Acadia University ]
- [last1=APC ]
- [last1=APC ]
- [last1=APC ]
- [last1=Ayala-Hernández ]
- [last1=Castro ]
- [last1=Clary ]
- [last1=Daniels ]
- [url=https://www.worldplants.de/ ]
- [last1=Hernández Sandoval ]
- [last1=Hess ]
- [last1=Hess ]
- [last1=Hodgson ]
- [last1=New Mexico Legislature ]
- [last1=NMOSOS ]
- [last1=OED ]
- [last1=POWO ]
- [last1=POWO ]
- [last1=POWO ]
- [last1=Puente ]
- [last1=RAE ]
- [last1=Solano ]
- [last1=WFO ]
- [last1=WFO ]
- [last1=WFO ]
- [last1=WFO ]
- [last1=WFO ]
- [last1=Zachos ]
[Refend]
** External links
[Commons] [Wikispecies]
- [Yucca]
- [wstitle=Yucca]
[US state flowers] [from=Q156317] [Authority control]
Category:Agavoideae Category:Asparagaceae genera Category:North American
desert flora Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Category:Saponaceous plants Category:Vegetable fibers Category:Fiber plants