Flora of North America species comparison

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Yucca rostrata

beak yucca, izote kikapú
Habit Plants solitary or forming colonies of rosettes, caulescent, arborescent, 2.5–3.6 m, not including inflorescence, 1.8–3.2 dm diam; rosettes each with more than 100 leaves.
Stems

1–several, erect, mostly simple, occasionally 1–3-branched.
Leaf

blade linear, often twisted, flat to concavo-convex, widest considerably beyond middle, 25–60 × 1.2–1.7 cm, glaucous, smooth, margins minutely denticulate, lemon yellow, hyaline, apex spinose, spine tipped.
Inflorescences

paniculate, arising just within or beyond rosettes, ovoid, 3–10 dm;

branches up to 3.8 dm;

bracts erect;

peduncle sometimes scapelike, 0.3–1 m, less than 2.5 cm diam., glabrous or glabrescent.
Flowers

pendent;

perianth globose to campanulate;

tepals distinct, white, narrowly ovate, 4.2–5.2 × 1.1–2 cm, apex sharply acuminate;

filaments 1.7–2 cm;

pistil 2.5–3.5 cm;

style white, 6–14 mm;

stigmas lobed.
Fruits

erect, capsular, dehiscent, ovoid to ellipsoid, rarely constricted, 4–7 × 1.8–2.5 cm, dehiscence septicidal.

Yucca rostrata
Phenology Flowering spring.
Habitat Rocky mountain slopes, canyon bottoms
Elevation 700 m (2300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
TX; n Mexico (Coahuila)
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

In the United States, Yucca rostrata is restricted to Brewster County, Texas. It is closely related to Y. thompsoniana (K. H. Clary 1997), which is perhaps just a northern variant of this species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 430.
Parent taxa 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. glauca, Y. gloriosa, Y. harrimaniae, Y. intermedia, Y. madrensis, Y. necopina, Y. neomexicana, Y. pallida, Y. reverchonii, Y. rupicola, Y. schidigera, Y. tenuistyla, Y. thompsoniana, Y. treculeana, Y. utahensis
Synonyms Y. rostrata var. linearis
Name authority Engelmann ex Trelease: Rep. (Annual) Missouri Bot. Gard. 13: 68, plates 40–42, plate 84, fig. 3, plate 93, fig. 2. (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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