Yucca baccata
Yucca angustissima
banana yucca, datil yucca, Spanish bayonet
fineleaf yucca, narrowleaf yucca
procumbent, 0.1–0.4 m, or erect, 1–2 m. Leaf blade rigidly spreading, including distal leaves, linear, lanceolate, concavo-convex, or plano-keeled, widest near middle, 20–80(–150) × 0.4–2 cm, rigid or flexible, not glaucous, margins entire, becoming filiferous, white, becoming brownish, gray, or green, apex long-acuminate, spinose, spine acicular, short, 3–7 mm.
erect, paniculate, dense, arising completely within to mostly extending beyond rosettes, ovoid, 6–8.2 dm, glabrous, rarely slightly pubescent;
peduncle scapelike, to 0.8 m. Flowers pendent, 5–13 cm, nearly as wide;
perianth campanulate;
tepals connate basally to form shallow floral cup 7–12 mm, usually cream-colored, occasionally tinged with purple, 4.5–13 cm;
filaments connate proximally into collarlike structure, 3.2–12 mm, fleshy, pubescent;
anthers 5–7 mm;
pistil 4.5–8 × 0.7–1.2 cm (usually 4–5(–7) times longer than broad);
ovary 0.7–1.2 cm;
style 5–7 mm;
stigmas distinct.
racemose, occasionally paniculate proximally, arising well beyond rosettes, (4–)8–20 dm, glabrous or finely pubescent;
branches, when present, 0.5–1 dm;
bracts erect, linear, proximal 10–20 × 1–2 cm, distal 3–8 × 1–2 cm;
peduncle scapelike, 0.3–2.5 m, 1–2 cm diam.
pendent, 3–5.5(–6.5) cm;
perianth campanulate to globose;
tepals distinct, white to cream or greenish white, often tinged pink or brown, broad to narrowly elliptic to lanceolate-elliptic or orbiculate, 3–6.5 × 1.3–2.5 cm;
filaments 0.7–2.8 cm;
anthers 3.2–6 mm;
pistil 1.5–3.5 cm;
style white to pale green, 3–10(–13) mm;
stigmas lobed.
pendent, baccate, indehiscent, elongate, 5–23 × 4–7.5 cm, fleshy, succulent.
erect, capsular, dehiscent, moderately to deeply constricted, 3.5–7.5 × 2–3 cm, dehiscence septicidal.
dull black, obovate, 7–11 mm diam., 3 mm thick, rugose.
dull black, thin, 7–9 × 5–7 mm.
Yucca baccata
Yucca angustissima
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Varieties 4 (4 in the flora).
Our treatment of Yucca angustissima reflects the concepts of J. L. Reveal (1977c). Each variety is well isolated geographically, but they overlap with one another morphologically. S. L. Welsh et al. (1993) treated the taxa in this complex at species level, with the exception of Y. angustissima var. aria, considered a high-altitude extreme of the typical variety. K. H. Clary (1997) presented DNA evidence that supports Welsh et al.’s treatment of this complex, in that Y. angustissima, Y. kanabensis, and Y. toftiae sort out distinctly from one another in her consensus tree. However, Welsh et al. indicated significant intergradation among these taxa, which makes their recognition at varietal rank seem most appropriate.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Plants acaulescent or caulescent; stems 1–6, aerial or subterranean, shorter than 0.3 m; leaf margins coarse, curling. | var. baccata |
1. Plants caulescent; stems 1–24, aerial, often branched, some reaching 2 m; leaf margins filiferous. | var. brevifolia |
1. Capsules deeply constricted, 3.5–5.5(–5.7) cm; inflorescence and peduncle 0.8–1.5(–1.8) m. | → 2 |
1. Capsules moderately constricted, 4.5–7.5 cm; inflorescence and peduncle 1–2.5(–4.5) m. | → 2 |
2. Flowers 4.5–5.5 cm; leaf blade 25–45 cm; style 10–13 mm. | var. angustissima |
2. Flowers 3.5–4.5(–5.2) cm; leaf blade 40–60 cm; style 7–10 mm. | var. avia |
3. Flowers 3–5.2 cm; leaf blade 20–75 cm; pistil 1.5–3.2 cm; style 3–10 mm; stem plus peduncle and inflorescence 2.3–4.5 m. | var. toftiae |
3. Flowers 5.5–6.5 cm; leaf blade 45–80(–150) cm; pistil 3–3.5 cm; style 5–8 mm; stem plus peduncle and inflorescence 2–3.5 m | var. kanabensis |
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