Yucca aloifolia

Linnaeus

Sp. Pl. 1: 319. 1753.

Common names: Dagger plant
Synonyms: Yucca serrulata Haworth
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 26. Treatment on page 429. Mentioned on page 425.
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Plants forming colonies of rosettes, arborescent, to 7 m. Stems 1–3, erect or somewhat declining, simple or sparingly branched. Leaf-blade erect, dark green, flattened or slightly concave, thick, 12–40 × 2.5–6 cm, rigid, margins sharply denticulate or entire, rarely filiferous with straight fibers. Inflorescences pendent, paniculate, arising 1/4–1/2 within rosettes, somewhat conical, 4.5–6.1 dm, glabrous or slightly pubescent; peduncle scapelike, to 3 dm. Flowers pendent, to 7 cm; perianth globose; tepals spreading, connate basally for less than 1 mm, creamy white tinged with green or purple near base, lanceolate, 3–4 × 1.2–2.2 cm; filaments ca. 2 cm; anthers 2–3 mm; pistil light green, 3–4 × 0.8–1 cm; ovary stipitate, 2–5 cm; style 5 mm; stigmas distinct. Fruits pendent, baccate, without core, indehiscent, 3.5–5 × 2–2.6 cm, with fleshy, succulent, purple pulp. Seeds dull black, round-ovate, 5–7 mm diam., 2.5 mm thick.


Phenology: Flowering fall.
Habitat: Sand dunes or shell mounds near coasts
Elevation: 0–1800 m

Distribution

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Ala., Fla., Ga., La., Miss., N.C., S.C., Tex., Va., Mexico, West Indies, Central America

Discussion

Yucca aloifolia has been widely cultivated, and horticultural forms (or varieties, depending upon the source) differ in the striping of yellow and white on the leaves. Results of DNA studies by K. H. Clary (1997) show a close relationship between this species and Y. gloriosa.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thick" is not a number. "thin" is not a number."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property. "dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Yucca aloifolia"
longitudinal +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> - 0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> +
glandular-pubescent +  and glandular +
sharp-pointed +
William J. Hess +  and R. Laurie Robbins +
Linnaeus +
purple +  and green +
elliptic +, ovate +, oblanceolate +, lanceolate +  and linear +
expanded +
fleshy +  and rigid +
reflexed +, erect +  and ascending +
scale-like +
Dagger plant +
Ala. +, Fla. +, Ga. +, La. +, Miss. +, N.C. +, S.C. +, Tex. +, Va. +, Mexico +, West Indies +  and Central America +
0–1800 m +
straight +
elongated +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
flattened +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> - ? +
broadened +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> - 7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> +
indehiscent +
3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> - 5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> +
fleshy +  and dry +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> - 2.6 cm26 mm <br />0.026 m <br /> +
Sand dunes or shell mounds near coasts +
arising +  and pendent +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
1/4 +  and 1/2 +
12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br /> - 40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br /> +
concave +  and flattened +
long-lived +  and annual +
denticulate +
6-lobed +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> - ? +  and 5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> - ? +
not +  and articulate +
semisucculent +
Flowering fall. +
light green +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> - 4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> +
oblong-cylindrical +  and obovoid +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> - ? +  and 1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> - ? +
succulent +  and fleshy +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> - 2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> +
round-ovate +
exserted +  and included +
branched +  and simple +
aboveground +  and subterranean +
somewhat +  and erect +
1 +  and 3 +
white;pale green +
1 +  and 3 +
list +  and count +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> - 0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> +
white +  and dark green +
exserted +  and included +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> - ? +
Yucca serrulata +
Yucca aloifolia +
species +
tinged;creamy white +
3cm +  and 4cm +
lanceolate +
1.2cm;2.2cm +
branching +, subscapose +, caulescent +  and acaulescent +
aboveground +  and subterranean +
polygamodioecious +, dioecious +, monoecious +, polycarpic +  and monocarpic +
small;gigantic +
petal-like +