Flora of North America species comparison

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Yucca baccata

Yucca utahensis

banana yucca, datil yucca, Spanish bayonet

Utah yucca
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 large colonies, caulescent or appearing acaulescent, not distinctly arborescent, 1.2–2.8 m; rosettes usually large.
Stems

often procumbent, usually 7 or more per colony, thick, 0.6–1.3 m. Leaf blade yellow-green, linear-lanceolate, plano-convex or plano-keeled, widest near middle, 20–70 × 0.7–2.2 cm, flexible, margins entire, curled, filiferous, whitish, apex tapering to short spine.
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.

paniculate, sometimes distally racemose, arising beyond rosettes, narrowly ellipsoid, 10–15 dm;

branches 1–2 dm;

bracts erect;

peduncle scapelike, 1–1.6 m, 2.5–4.5 cm diam.
Flowers

pendent;

perianth campanulate;

tepals distinct, creamy white, broad-elliptic or ovate, 4–5 × 2–2.5 cm;

filaments 2–2.5 cm;

anthers 2–3 mm;

pistil 2.5–3.5 cm;

style white, 5–10 mm;

stigmas lobed.
Fruits

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

erect, capsular, dehiscent, oblong-cylindric, 5–6 × 2–2.5 cm, dehiscence septicidal.
Seeds

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

dull black, thin.

Yucca baccata

Yucca utahensis
Phenology Flowering spring.
Habitat Desert and desert hillsides and canyons, often sandy places
Elevation 700–2000 m (2300–6600 ft)
Distribution
from USDA
North America; Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NV; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

S. D. McKelvey (1938–1947) suggested that Yucca utahensis is most closely related to Y. elata, from which it differs primarily in growth habit, capsule size, and leaf width, although with overlaps. S. L. Welsh et al. (1993) considered it equally or more closely related to Y. angustissima var. kanabensis, but DNA evidence (K. H. Clary 1997) suggests a closer relationship with Y. elata. J. M. Webber (1953) believed that Y. utahensis is a hybrid between Y. elata and Y. angustissima. The plants that are caulescent or subcaulescent were recognized by J. L. Reveal (1977c) as Y. elata var. utahensis; those that are acaulescent, or infrequently caulescent and with racemose inflorescences, he included in Y. angustissima.

(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. 433.
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. schidigera, Y. tenuistyla, Y. thompsoniana, Y. treculeana
Subordinate taxa
Y. baccata var. baccata, Y. baccata var. brevifolia
Synonyms Y. elata var. utahensis
Name authority Torrey: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 221. (1859) McKelvey: Yuccas Southw. U.S. 2: 94, plates 32–34. (1947)
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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