Flora of North America species comparison

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Yucca elata

Yucca arkansana

palmella, soap-tree yucca, soap-weed yucca

Arkansas yucca
Habit Plants solitary or forming small colonies of rosettes, caulescent or rarely acaulescent, distinctly arborescent, mostly few-branched, 1.2–4.5 m; rosettes usually large, symmetrical or asymmetrical. Plants forming small colonies, acaulescent or caulescent; rosettes usually small.
Stems

1–7 per colony, erect, thick, 1–1.5(–2.5) m. Leaf blade pale green, linear, widest near middle, 25–95 × 0.2–1.3 cm, flexible, margins entire, curled, filiferous, whitish, apex tapering to short spine.

decumbent, short, to 0.2 m. Leaf blade mostly yellowish green, flattened, grasslike, concavo-convex, widest near middle, 20–60(–70) × 0.7–2(–2.5) cm, flexible, margins entire, curled, filiferous, apex long, tapering to short spines 1.6–3.2 mm.
Inflorescences

mostly paniculate, sometimes distally racemose, arising beyond rosettes, mostly narrowly ovoid to ovoid, 7–15 × 2.5–6.5 dm;

branches 0.7–3.5 dm;

bracts erect;

peduncle sometimes scapelike, 1–2 m, 2.5–5.5 cm diam.

racemose, occasionally paniculate proximally, arising within rosettes or at rosette level, 3–6(–8) dm, glabrous;

bracts erect;

peduncle scapelike, 0.2–0.5(–0.6) m, 0.3–0.7(–1.3) cm diam.
Flowers

pendent;

perianth campanulate or globose;

tepals distinct, creamy white, often tinged green or pink, narrow to broadly elliptic or ovate, 3.2–5.7 × 1.3–3.2 cm;

filaments 1.5–2.5(–3.2) cm, pubescent;

anthers (2–)2.5–4.8 mm;

pistil 2–3.2 × 0.6–1 cm;

style white or pale green, 6–11 mm;

stigmas lobed.

pendent;

perianth globose;

tepals distinct, greenish white, elliptic to orbicular or oblong, 3.2–6.5 × 2–5 cm;

filaments 1.3–2.5 cm;

anthers 3.2 mm;

pistil 2.5–2.8(–3.2) cm;

style dark green, 7–13 mm, tumid;

stigmas lobed.
Fruits

erect, capsular, dehiscent, oblong-cylindric, symmetrical or rarely constricted, 4–8.2 × 2–4 cm, dehiscence septicidal.

erect, capsular, dehiscent, oblong-cylindric to obovoid, constricted near middle, stout, 4–6.5(–7) × 2–3 cm, dehiscence septicidal.
Seeds

dull black, thin, 7–11(–14) mm diam.

dull black, thin, ca. 1 cm diam.

Yucca elata

Yucca arkansana
Phenology Flowering spring.
Habitat Gravelly soil, limestone outcrops, rocky hillsides, prairies
Elevation 100–400 m (300–1300 ft)
Distribution
from USDA
North America; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AR; KS; MO; OK; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

J. L. Reveal (1977c) reduced S. D. McKelvey’s (1938–1947) Yucca utahensis and Y. verdiensis to varieties of Y. elata based primarily u!pon growth forms. J. M. Webber (1953) considered that these taxa are populations of hybrids between members of the Y. glauca alliance of the Great Plains and Y. elata of the American Southwest. Reveal believed that Webber did not provide adequate justification for his hybrid hypothesis. K. H. Clary (1997, pers. comm.) believes that Y. utahensis is genetically distinct from Y. elata and Y. verdiensis, based on DNA evidence and the morphological characters of style, stigma, fruit, and leaf. Her DNA evidence shows that Y. elata and Y. verdiensis are sister taxa, while Y. utahensis is not. Although there is a great range of variation within Y. elata as circumscribed here, the two varieties recognized are difficult to distinguish.

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

Yucca arkansana shows considerable variation, particularly in the eastern part of its range. S. D. McKelvey (1938–1947) described var. paniculata and suggested that it is an eastern extension of the species with a taller, paniculate, and pubescent inflorescence. Yucca arkansana approaches Y. louisianensis, which we have reduced to synonymy under Y. flaccida. K. H. Clary’s (1997) DNA consensus tree places Y. arkansana and Y. louisianensis adjacent to one another.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Capsules 5–8.2 cm; pistil 2.8–3.2 cm; leaf blade 30–95 cm.
var. elata
1. Capsules 4–4.5 cm; pistil 2–2.5 cm; leaf blade 25–45 cm.
var. verdiensis
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 432. FNA vol. 26, p. 436.
Parent taxa Agavaceae > Yucca Agavaceae > Yucca
Sibling taxa
Y. aloifolia, Y. angustissima, Y. arkansana, Y. baccata, Y. baileyi, Y. brevifolia, Y. campestris, Y. constricta, 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. 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, Y. utahensis
Subordinate taxa
Y. elata var. elata, Y. elata var. verdiensis
Synonyms Y. angustifolia var. mollis, Y. arkansana var. paniculata, Y. glauca var. mollis
Name authority Engelmann: Bot. Gaz. 7: 17. (1882) Trelease: Rep. (Annual) Missouri Bot. Gard. 13: 63. (1902)
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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