Flora of North America species comparison

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Yucca baccata

Yucca schidigera

banana yucca, datil yucca, Spanish bayonet

Mohave yucca, Mojave yucca, Spanish dagger
Habit Plants often forming open colonies of rosettes, acaulescent or short-caulescent, shorter than 2.5 m. Stems, if present, decumbent, 1–24, aerial or subterranean, simple or sometimes branched, to 2 m. Leaf blade erect, bluish green, concavo-convex, 30–100 × 2–6 cm, rigid, scabrous or glaucous, margins brown. Plants forming colonies of rosettes, shrubby, caulescent, to 5 m. Stems 1–8, simple or sparingly branched.
Leaf

blade erect, yelloish green, sword-shaped, broadest at middle, markedly concave, thick, 33–130 × 3–5 cm, rigid, glabrous, margins entire, filiferous with coarse fibers.
Inflorescences

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.

erect, paniculate, dense, arising entirely within or scarcely beyond rosettes, obovoid or ellipsoid and flat distally, 3–6 dm;

peduncle scapelike, to 4 dm.
Flowers

pendent;

perianth globose;

tepals spreading, distinct, white or cream, lanceolate or broadly lanceolate, 3–5(–7.5) × 1–1.8 cm;

filaments 2–2.5 cm, papillose at base;

anthers 3.2 mm;

pistil 1.8 × 2.5 cm;

ovary 1.7–2.7 × 0.7–1.2 cm, apex abruptly tapered;

style 1–2 mm;

stigmas distinct.
Fruits

pendent, baccate, indehiscent, elongate, 5–23 × 4–7.5 cm, fleshy, succulent.

pendent, baccate, indehiscent, elongate, cylindrical, 5–11.5 × 3–4 cm, fleshy, succulent.
Seeds

dull black, obovate, 7–11 mm diam., 3 mm thick, rugose.

gray, 8–11 mm diam., 6–9 mm thick, rugose.

Yucca baccata

Yucca schidigera
Phenology Flowering late winter–early spring.
Habitat Deserts and chaparral, rocky or gravelly mountain slopes
Elevation 300–1200 m (1000–3900 ft)
Distribution
from USDA
North America; Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Yucca schidigera is usually used for landscaping in the southwest and by Native Americans for food and fiber. Capsules made from inflorescence stalks are sold as natural health products.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
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
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 427. FNA vol. 26, p. 429.
Parent taxa Agavaceae > Yucca Agavaceae > Yucca
Sibling taxa
Y. aloifolia, Y. angustissima, Y. arkansana, Y. baileyi, Y. brevifolia, Y. campestris, Y. constricta, Y. elata, Y. faxoniana, Y. filamentosa, Y. flaccida, Y. glauca, Y. gloriosa, Y. harrimaniae, Y. intermedia, Y. madrensis, Y. necopina, Y. neomexicana, Y. pallida, Y. reverchonii, Y. rostrata, Y. rupicola, Y. schidigera, Y. tenuistyla, Y. thompsoniana, Y. treculeana, Y. utahensis
Y. aloifolia, Y. angustissima, Y. arkansana, Y. baccata, Y. baileyi, Y. brevifolia, Y. campestris, Y. constricta, Y. elata, Y. faxoniana, Y. filamentosa, Y. flaccida, Y. glauca, Y. gloriosa, Y. harrimaniae, Y. intermedia, Y. madrensis, Y. necopina, Y. neomexicana, Y. pallida, Y. reverchonii, Y. rostrata, Y. rupicola, Y. tenuistyla, Y. thompsoniana, Y. treculeana, Y. utahensis
Subordinate taxa
Y. baccata var. baccata, Y. baccata var. brevifolia
Synonyms Y. californica, Y. mohavensis
Name authority Torrey: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 221. (1859) Roezl ex Ortgies: Gartenflora 20: 110. (1871)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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