Flora of North America species comparison

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Yucca glauca

Yucca intermedia

beargrass, Great Plains yucca, narrowleaf yucca, plains yucca, small soapweed, soapweed yucca
Habit Plants forming small to moderate colonies, acaulescent or caulescent and arborescent, occasionally branched; rosettes 1–15 per colony, usually small. Plants cespitose, forming widely separated colonies, acaulescent or occasionally caulescent; rosettes 1–5 per colony, usually small.
Stems

erect, to 0.4 m. Leaf blade linear to linear-lanceolate, concave to concavo-convex, widest near middle, 40–60 × 0.8–1.2 cm, rigid, margins entire, filiferous, white, apex blunt to acicular.

erect, simple, shorter than 1 m. Leaf blade linear, plano-convex or plano-keeled, widest near middle, 33–65 × 0.5–0.8 cm, slightly flexible, margins entire, white to grayish.
Inflorescences

racemose, occasionally paniculate proximally, arising within or just beyond rosettes, 5–10 dm;

bracts erect, leaflike, 2–5 cm, reduced toward apex;

peduncle scapelike, 0.2–0.5 m, less than 2.5 cm diam.

mostly green, racemose, sometimes paniculate proximally, occasionally paniculate and long-racemose distally, arising within rosettes, (5–)7–13 dm, glabrous;

bracts erect;

peduncle scapelike, 0.1–0.5 m, to 2.5 cm diam.
Flowers

pendent;

tepals distinct, greenish white to white, elliptic, 5–5.3 × 2.6–3.5 cm, apex acute;

filaments white, 1.7–1.9 cm;

anthers yellow, 4 mm;

pistil green, obovoid, 3–3.7 × 1.7 cm;

style dark green, 10 mm;

stigmas lobed.

pendent;

perianth campanulate or rarely globose;

tepals distinct, cream or greenish, often tinged rose or rosy brown, narrowly elliptic to broadly elliptic, 5.5–7 × 2–3.2 cm;

filaments to 2.5 cm;

anthers 3.2–4.8 mm;

pistil 1.5–3.2 cm;

style white or pale yellowish green, 7 mm;

stigmas lobed.
Fruits

erect, capsular, dehiscent, cylindric to obovoid, rarely constricted, 5–8(–9) × 3–4.5(–5) cm, dehiscence septicidal.

erect, capsular, dehiscent, oblong-cylindric, occasionally constricted at middle, 5–5.7 × 2–2.5 cm, dehiscence septicidal.
Seeds

black, slightly glossy, thin, 9–12 × 8–9 mm.

glossy or dull black, thin, 6–10 mm.

Yucca glauca

Yucca intermedia
Phenology Flowering spring. Flowering spring.
Habitat Prairies and waste areas in sandy or limestone soils Juniper-pinyon pine woodlands to adjacent grasslands
Elevation 500–2600 m (1600–8500 ft) 1100–2100 m (3600–6900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CO; IA; KS; MO; MT; ND; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX; WY; AB
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NM
Discussion

Yucca glauca has the most extensive distribution of any North American Yucca. Its inflorescences are primarily racemose, but some plants exhibit branched inflorescences and varietal names have been given them. Yucca glauca and Y. arkansana are very similar. The leaves of Y. glauca are uniform in size, rigid, linear or linear-lanceolate, and up to 1.2 cm wide. In Y. arkansana, the young leaves immediately surrounding the peduncle are distinctly shorter than the outer leaves of the rosette, and mature leaves are generally somewhat flexible, lanceolate, and up to 2.5 cm wide. K. H. Clary’s (1997) DNA evidence does not indicate as close a relationship as the morphological characters suggest. J. M. Webber (1953) believed that Y. glauca forms hybrids with Y. baileyi, Y. elata, Y. constricta, and Y. angustissima.

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

J. M. Webber (1953) believed Yucca intermedia to be a hybrid between Y. glauca and Y. angustissima or Y. baileyi. S. D. McKelvey (1938–1947) recognized var. ramosa based primarily on paniculate inflorescences. Plants of this type are found in the southeastern area of the species range, where populations with only paniculate inflorescences occur, as well as populations with racemose and paniculate inflorescences.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 437. FNA vol. 26.
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. elata, Y. faxoniana, Y. filamentosa, Y. flaccida, 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. madrensis, Y. necopina, Y. neomexicana, Y. pallida, Y. reverchonii, Y. rostrata, Y. rupicola, Y. schidigera, Y. tenuistyla, Y. thompsoniana, Y. treculeana, Y. utahensis
Synonyms Y. angustifolia, Y. glauca var. gurneyi, Y. glauca var. stricta, Y. stricta Y. baileyi var. intermedia, Y. intermedia var. ramosa
Name authority Nuttall: Cat. Pl. Upper Louisiana, no. 89. (1813) McKelvey: Yuccas Southw. U.S. 2: 116, plates 44–47. (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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