Editing Yucca

{{Short description|Plant genus in the agave subfamily}}
{{About|the genus comprising species of perennials, shrubs, and trees|the species of root vegetable sometimes called "yuca"|Cassava|other uses|Yucca (disambiguation)}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Yucca elata - tmcelrath 01.jpg
| image_alt = A plant with many narrow, sharply pointed leaves at the base of the plant pointing outwards in every direction to form a rough ball shape. From the center of the plant an inflorescence extends upwards almost twice as tall as the leaves, branching halfway up with many white flowers that hang downward. It is growing in an area of white sand with very little vegetation.
| image_caption = ''[[Yucca elata]]'' in [[White Sands National Park]], New Mexico
| taxon = Yucca
| authority = [[L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
| subdivision = See [[List of Yucca species|List of ''Yucca'' species]]
| range_map = Yucca genus range.svg
| range_map_caption = The country and state level native distributions of ''Yucca'' in North America{{sfn|POWO 2025b}}
| synonyms_ref = {{sfn|POWO 2025b}}
| synonyms = {{Genus list
 | Clistoyucca | ([[Engelm.]]) [[Trel.]]
 | Codonocrinum | [[Willd.]] ex [[Schult.]] & [[Schult.f.]]
 | Samuela | Trel.
 | Sarcoyucca | (Trel.) Linding.
 | Matuda-pina | Hochstätter
}}
}}

'''''Yucca''''' is a genus of plants which are also called '''yucca''' as a common name in English. The genus is made up of 50 accepted species native to North America from [[Panama]] to a few areas of southern Canada. The genus is generally classified in the [[asparagus family]] in [[Agavoideae|a subfamily]] with the ''[[Agave]]'', though historically it was part of the [[lily family]]. The species ranges from small shrubby plants to tree-like giants, such as the [[Joshua Tree]].

The tight relationship between the yucca plants and their pollinators, the yucca moths from the genera ''[[Tegeticula]]'' and ''[[Parategeticula]]'', is a well known example of evolutionary [[Mutualism (biology)|mutualism]]. They are an important part of the ecology of North American [[Desert|deserts]], providing shelter to small animals and creating habitats. Human uses of the yuccas include cultivation as garden plant, chemical extracts, and parts of the plant that are eaten as food. The flower petals of various species, particularly in [[Central America]] and Mexico, are eaten as a part of local cuisine.

==Description==
Yuccas are [[perennial]] plants that have one or more rosettes of long, pointed sword shaped leaves. Usually the leaves are stiff and fibrous, but a few species have fleshy leaves.{{sfn|Hess & Robbins 2020a}} The leaves are numerous and arranged in spiral at the ends of stems or branches.{{sfn|Welsh et al. 1987|p=648}} Plants can be a small shrub or be large with a form like a tree.{{sfn|Heil et al. 2013|p=98}} The surface of the leaves are hairless, but some have a very rough surface. About half of all species have fibers that peal off the edges of the leaves.{{sfn|Irish|Irish|2000|p=32}} The leaves never have spines on their edges, but may be very finely toothed.{{sfn|Ingram|2008|p=163}} Some yucca species reproduce by underground [[rhizome]]s and form colonies of plants,{{sfn|Irish|Irish|2000|p=33}} but this feature is rare in the fleshy-fruited yuccas, which will usually produce new sprouts at the base of the plant from nodule-like growths.{{sfn|Webber|1953|p=85}}

Plants without stems or trunks grow from a thick underground [[caudex]], a modified stem with growth at the end like in a palm tree.{{sfn|Churchill|1986|p=1264}} Species that do not have trunks tend to be found in colder areas such as the [[Rocky Mountains]], [[Great Plains]], and eastern United States. Species with trunks are more common in the subtropics, deserts, and tropics to the south.{{sfn|Irish|Irish|2000|p=33}} The largest of these tree yuccas is ''Yucca brevifolia'', commonly known as the [[Joshua tree]] in the American southwest.{{sfn|Linford|2007|p=99}} The Joshua tree can reach up to {{convert|15|m|sp=us}} in height.{{sfn|Hess & Robbins 2020b}} Every species grows in soil, except for ''[[Yucca lacandonica]]'', which grows as an [[epiphyte]].{{sfn|Thiede|2020|p=363}}

Some species have a [[Scape (botany)|scape]], a long flowering stem without any leaves or bracts along its length. These are always less than {{convert|2.5|cm|0|sp=us}} in diameter. The [[inflorescence]] is usually upright, but in a few species bends over and hangs downward. The inflorcences can be a [[panicle]], where the flowers are on branches off the main stem, or a [[raceme]], where the flowers are attached directly by flower stalks to the main stem.{{sfn|Hess & Robbins 2020a}} Though the plants live for many years and flower multiple times, each inflorescence dies after setting seed.{{sfn|Thiede|2020|p=363}}

The flowers are large and showy, ranging from bell shaped to round like a globe.{{sfn|Heil et al. 2013|p=98}} The six [[tepal]]s are white to cream or slightly green in color.{{sfn|Thiede|2020|p=363}} They are thick and leathery in texture, and in many species the three outermost tepals will have red, pink, maroon, purple, or brown streaks.{{sfn|Irish|Irish|2000|p=34}}

[[File:Yucca elata seed pod.jpg|thumb|The dry capsule of ''Yucca elata'', the soaptree yucca, open with the flat black seeds inside]]
In about half of the species the fruit is a dry [[Capsule (fruit)|capsule]]. In the other half, it is a fleshy fruit. Inside the fruit, the seeds are tightly packed, flat, and black in color.{{sfn|Irish|Irish|2000|p=36–37}} Dry capsules are held in an upright position while soft capsules hang downwards.{{sfn|Heil et al. 2013|p=98}}

Due to similar characteristics of many species it is difficult to identify them without flowers or fruits. Many characteristics taken together are needed to make identifications, often including the size and color of the [[pistil]], [[style (botany)|style]], and flowers while alive.{{sfn|Heil et al. 2013|p=99}} Yuccas are distinct from ''Agave'' due to typically having less succulent leaves, thicker flower petals, and a lack of spines on leaf edges.{{sfn|Ingram|2008|p=163}}

==Taxonomy==
''Yucca'' was first described and named by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in his book ''[[Species Plantarum]]'', published in 1753.{{sfn|POWO 2025b}} The first work on the genus as a whole was published by [[George Engelmann]] in 1873.{{sfn|Irish|Irish|2000|p=18}} A [[lectotype]] for the genus, a specimen of ''[[Yucca aloifolia]]'', was designated by [[Nathaniel Lord Britton]] and [[John Adolph Shafer]] in 1908.{{sfn|Thiede|2020|p=363}}

In 1902 [[William Trelease]] published a paper separating out ''Clistoyucca'' and ''Samuela'' from ''Yucca'',{{sfn|Hess & Robbins 2020a}} along with his 1893 separation of ''[[Hesperoyucca]]'' from the genus.{{sfn|POWO 2025a}} [[Susan Delano McKelvey]] argued against this separation, though she recognized them as sections of ''Yucca''. McKelvey did allow that ''Hesperoyucca'' might be recognized as a genus writing, "since a number of flower and fruit characters differ from those in all other sections". DNA investigations in the 1990s found support for ''Hesperoyucca''.{{sfn|Hess & Robbins 2020a}} As of 2025, ''Hesperoyucca'' is listed as accepted.{{sfn|POWO 2025a}}

Prior to the 1950s ''Yucca'' was placed in [[Liliaceae]], the lily family, due to having a [[superior ovary]]. Since that time, evidence of it being more closely related to the ''[[Agave]]'' genus has been accepted.{{sfn|Thiede|2020|p=364}} In particular, the discovery that ''Yucca'', like plants in ''Agave'', has 5 large and 20 small [[chromosome]]s was a large factor in reconsidering their relationship.{{sfn|Oldfield|1997|p=3}} The [[APG III system]], published in 2009, placed the genus into the family [[Asparagaceae]] in the [[Agavoideae]] subfamily.{{sfn|Chase|Reveal|Fay|2009|pp=133–134}} This classification continued in [[APG IV]].{{sfn|Angiosperm Phylogeny Group 2016|p=15}} However, some botanists prefer to classify this subfamily as a family named Agavaceae.{{sfn|Thiede|2020|p=364}}

===Species===
{{Main list|List of Yucca species{{!}}List of ''Yucca'' species}}
{{As of|2025}} [[Plants of the World Online]] (POWO) and [[World Flora Online]] (WFO) both list [[List of Yucca species|50 valid species]].{{sfn|POWO 2025b}}{{sfn|WFO 2025a}} In addition, POWO lists three other species, ''Yucca jaegeriana'' {{small|(McKelvey) L.W.Lenz}}, ''Yucca muscipula'' {{small|Ayala-Hern., Ríos-Gómez, E.Solano & García-Mend.}}, and ''Yucca pinicola'' {{small|Zamudio}},{{sfn|POWO 2025b}} that WFO lists as unchecked or as a synonym of another species.{{sfn|WFO 2025b}}{{sfn|WFO 2025c}}{{sfn|WFO 2025d}} There are also two [[natural hybrid]]s, [[Yucca × schottii|''Yucca'' × ''schottii'']], which was formerly listed as a species under various names, and ''Yucca'' × ''quinnarjenii''.{{sfn|WFO 2025e}}{{sfn|POWO 2025c}}

===Names===
In 1737 Linnaeus, in setting out his rules for the names of genera, wrote, "Generic names which have not a root derived from Greek or Latin are to be rejected".{{sfn|Stearn|1995|p=275}} However, in the case of ''Yucca'' and several other names, he violated his own rule by adopting names derived from other languages.{{sfn|Stearn|1995|p=289}} The word was borrowed from the [[Carib language]] by Spanish as ''juca'', starting with [[Amerigo Vespucci]] in 1497 referring to [[cassava]].{{sfn|OED 2025}} It was first used to refer to the unrelated plants of the genus ''Yucca'' in a German travel account published in 1557.{{sfn|Thiede|2020|p=363}} This was used as the genus name by Linnaeus in ''Species Plantarum''.{{sfn|Hess & Robbins 2020a}}{{sfn|POWO 2025b}}

The name ''yucca'' is used as an English [[common name]] for plant species in the genus. It is also known as ''Adam's needle'' or as ''Spanish-bayonet''.{{sfn|OED 2025}}{{sfn|Hess & Robbins 2020a}} Other common names for some species include ''Spanish dagger'', ''shin dagger'', ''soapweed'', or ''soaptree''.{{sfn|OED 2025}}{{sfn|Heil et al. 2013|p=98}} The name yucca can be confused with cassava, though the spelling ''yuca'' is often used to distinguish the food from plants in ''Yucca''.{{sfn|OED 2025}}

The Aztecs living in Mexico call the local yucca species {{Lang|Nah|iczotl}} in [[Nahuatl]], which gave the Spanish {{Lang|es|izote}}.{{sfn|RAE|ASALE|2024}}

==Range and habitat==
[[File:Narrowleaf Yucca Blossoms (34920628044).jpg|thumb|[[Narrowleaf yucca]] (''Yucca angustissima'') blooming in [[Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve]]]]
The natural range of the yuccas stretches across much of southern North America from Panama in the south as far north as Alberta in Canada.{{sfn|POWO 2025b}} The exact extent is disputed as though ''[[Yucca gigantea]]'' is listed by [[Plants of the World Online]] (POWO) and [[World Flora Online]] (WFO) as native to Central America,{{sfn|POWO 2025b}}{{sfn|WFO 2025a}} other sources like World Plants list it as introduced to all the nations of Central America.{{sfn|Hassler 2025}} Likewise, ''[[Yucca flaccida]]'' is listed as native to [[Ontario]] by POWO, WFO, and World Plants,{{sfn|POWO 2025b}}{{sfn|WFO 2025a}}{{sfn|Hassler 2025}} but is listed by VASCAN as introduced.{{sfn|VASCAN 2025}}

Yuccas are generally accepted to be introduced to the islands [[Caribbean]].{{sfn|POWO 2025b}}{{sfn|WFO 2025a}} Various species have also escaped from cultivation in Europe as far east as Poland and Romania. They also grow as an introduced species in Turkey, Pakistan, and Bangladesh in Asia. In Africa they are reported in Tunisia and [[KwaZulu-Natal]] and [[Free State (province)|Free State]] in South Africa. They also have been introduced to South America in Ecuador, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Argentina.{{sfn|POWO 2025b}} In Australia one species, [[Aloe yucca]] (''Yucca aloifolia''), has become definitely become naturalized in [[Western Australia]], [[Queensland]], [[New South Wales]], and the [[Australian Capital Territory]]. It is also doubtfully naturalized on [[Lord Howe Island]] and naturalized on [[Norfolk Island]].{{sfn|APC 2025a}} Two other species, ''[[Yucca gloriosa]]'' and ''[[Yucca whipplei]]'', may also be naturalized.{{sfn|APC 2025b}}{{sfn|APC 2025c}} They are also listed as an [[environmental weed]] in New Zealand having been found 31 times outside of cultivation.{{sfn|McAlpine|Howel|2024|p=28}}

The yuccas are [[xerophytic]], plants with adaptations to dry environments, with even those native to rainy habitats growing better when in drier areas.{{sfn|Guillot Ortiz|Van der Meer|2009|p=7}} The smaller, freeze-tolerant species of yucca have two centers of diversity, one in Texas and the other on the [[Colorado Plateau]]. They are found generally to the north and east of the range in [[Chihuahuan Desert]], the [[Trans-Pecos]] region, the [[Rocky Mountains]], the [[Colorado Plateau]], and the [[Great Plains]]. Tree-like yuccas with fleshy fruits have a center of diversity in the [[Sonoran Desert]]. They are found mainly in Mexico, while the tree like yuccas with spongy fruits are found only in the [[Mojave Desert]].{{sfn|Clary|Simpson|1995|p=79}}

==Ecology==
[[File:Tegeticula yuccasella - Marissa Calvert 01.jpg|thumb|alt=A cream white flower with thick fleshy petals with one petal pulled back to show at least five white moths inside with the large stamens |Yucca moths inside a yucca flower, [[Candler County, Georgia]]]]
Yuccas have a very specialized [[Mutualism (biology)|mutualistic]] system of [[pollination]].{{sfn|Irish|Irish|2000|p=36}} Yuccca moths of in genus ''[[Tegeticula]]'' or ''[[Parategeticula]]'' pollinate the flowers and then lay their eggs in the seed capsules of yuccas.{{sfn|Smith|Leebens-Mack|2024|p=376}} Though, the some species of ''Tegeticula'' provide no benefit to the yuccas, laying eggs but not pollinating the flowers due to lacking the specialized parts for carrying pollen.{{sfn|Althoff et al. 2006|p=398}} All species of yucca are pollinated by at least one species of yucca moth.{{sfn|Pellmyr|2003|p=36}} The mutualism was first documented by [[Charles Valentine Riley]] in 1873.{{sfn|Smith|Leebens-Mack|2024|pp=377, 390}} This created much excitement in the scientific community. In a 1874 letter to his friend [[Joseph Dalton Hooker]], [[Charles Darwin|Darwin]] called it, "the most wonderful case of fertilisation ever published".{{sfn|Smith|Leebens-Mack|2024|pp=376, 387}}

Instances of animal behavior that are exclusively aimed at pollination of plants, rather than just accompanying the animal gathering food, are quite rare. Female yucca moths have tentacle-like mouth parts that they use to gather pollen and then to deposit it on the reproductive parts.{{sfn|Smith|Leebens-Mack|2024|p=376}} In the 150 years following the discovery of this relationship it became one of the most famous of the documented plant and animal mutualisms along with the [[fig wasp]]s and [[fig tree]]s.{{sfn|Smith|Leebens-Mack|2024|pp=375–376}} The association between the yuccas and the yucca moths is quite ancient with a [[molecular clock]] estimate that it began between 51.3 and 31.7 million years ago with them beoming pollinators 35.6 million years ago ±9 million years.{{sfn|Pellmyr|Leebens-Mack|1999|p=9182}}

About two-thirds of the moth species are limited to just one species of yucca. There is some evidence that the moths that visit a single species are guided to the flowers by distinct scents. All yucca moths species gather together inside of blooms to mate. The females of ''Tegeticula'' gather pollen and then pierce the yucca ovaries or styles to lay their eggs. After this they deposit their load of pollen to ensure the development of seeds. The female ''Parategeticula'' moths cut groves into [[Pedicel (botany)|flower stems]], petals, or other parts to lay their eggs, but also use their mouthparts to deposit pollen on [[Stigma (botany)|stigmas]] and into [[Style (botany)|styles]].{{sfn|Smith|Leebens-Mack|2024|p=376}} In order to limit the numbers of seeds eaten by moth larvae yucca plants abort fruits with large numbers of eggs deposited within them, but also drop fruits without sufficent polination for good seed set.{{sfn|Pellmyr|Huth|1994|p=259}} In order to limit the numbers of seeds eaten by moth larvae yucca plants abort fruits with large numbers of eggs deposited within them, but also drop fruits without sufficient pollination for good seed set.{{sfn|Pellmyr|Huth|1994|p=259}}

Though the reduction or local extinction of yucca moths can reduce the fertility of seeds or the numbers produced, there is not yet evidence that it reduces the populations of yuccas as they are relatively long lived.{{sfn|Oldfield|1997|p=5}} The scientist Robert William Cruden and his collaborators speculated in 1976 that yucca species are limited to lower elevations by the inability of their moth pollinators to tolerate colder temperatures at high elevations.{{sfn|Addicott|1985|p=219}}

However, [[aloe yucca]] (''Yucca aloifolia'') has been shown to be pollinated by [[European honeybee]]s (''Apis mellifera''). This is first documented case of a plant reverting away from a highly specialized mutualism to a generalist pollinator.{{sfn|Rentsch|Leebens‐Mack|2014|pp=2065–2066}}

The [[bogus yucca moth]]s (''Prodoxus''), also lay their eggs on yucca species, but do not pollinate the flowers. They also do not eat the seeds, instead forming gall-like structures as they feed on fruits, stems, or leaves.{{sfn|Smith|Leebens-Mack|2024|pp=376–377}}

[[File:Megathymus yuccae ssp. yuccae - Athena Philips 01.jpg|thumb|Larva of a yucca giant-skipper butterfly on a yucca leaf in Florida]]
Yucca species are the host plants for the [[caterpillar]]s of the widespread but uncommon [[yucca giant-skipper]] butterfly (''Megathymus yuccae''), which is found across the southern United States and northern Mexico.{{sfn|Daniels|2009}} The [[ursine giant skipper]] butterfly (''Megathymus ursus''), from southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, western Texas, and [[Nuevo León]], also feeds on yuccas such as [[Schott's yucca]] (''Yucca'' × ''schottii'') and [[datil yucca]] (''Yucca baccata''). As does the more northerly [[Strecker's giant skipper]] (''Megathymus streckeri''), though on smaller species of yucca.{{sfn|Opler|Tilden|1999|p=476}} The [[giant skippers]] (Megathymini) are species that feed in the roots of yuccas and inside the leaves of agaves.{{sfn|Cong et al. 2019|p=2}}

Beetle herbivores include [[Rhinostomus frontalis|yucca weevils]], in the [[Curculionidae]].{{sfn|Chamorro|Anderson|2019|pp=875, 883}}

In desert environments, yuccas are an important part of the ecology, improving the environment by enriching the soil with organic material and reducing errosion. The shelter the yuccas provide attract small animals and their waste and remains also concentrate nutrients in the immediately surrounding areas creating a microhabitat along with small plants.{{sfn|Webber|1953|p=1}} Tree-like species of yucca, such as the Joshua tree, provide nesting sites for birds, materials for small rodents, and the fallen trunks provide shelter for lizards.{{sfn|Gray|Adolph|2024|p=137}} In the plains biome, species like ''Yucca glauca'' provide perches for birds as well as cover for small birds, small reptiles, and small mammals.{{sfn|Rohde et al. 2021|p=62}} In the plains, yuccas are not a significant source of food for either native grazers or for livestock,{{sfn|Rohde et al. 2021|p=62}} but in desert environments cattle will learn to avoid the sharp ends of the leaves and eat the base instead.{{sfn|Webber|1953|p=1}} Similarly, goats will eat the whole head of leaves when there is no other forage available.{{sfn|Webber|1953|p=1}}

Yucca seeds remain viable for many years in the environment due to being well protected and having plenty of energy reserves. To start germination they require a large amount of moisture.{{sfn|Webber|1953|p=5}} Due to the scarcity of water in much of their habitat the reproduction of yuccas by seed is limited and the majority of new plants sprout from rhizomes.{{sfn|Alexander|Pond|Rodgers|2008|p=1175}}

===Conservation===
According to the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] only five species are [[Conservation status|endangered]], including [[plains yucca]] (''Yucca campestris''),{{sfn|Puente|Hodgson|Salywon|2020}} [[nodding yucca]] (''Yucca cernua''),{{sfn|Clary et al. 2020}} [[Yucca lacandonica|quim]] (''Yucca lacandonica''),{{sfn|Ayala-Hernández|Solano|Véliz|2020}} [[pitilla]] (''Yucca endlichiana''),{{sfn|Solano|Ayala-Hernández|Puente|2020}} and ''[[Yucca queretaroensis]]''.{{sfn|Hernández Sandoval et al. 2020}}

==Uses==
[[File:Spun cordage, 900-1100 AD, Kayenta Anasazi, Twin Cave House, Arizona, yucca fiber - Natural History Museum of Utah - DSC07359.JPG|thumb|Spun yucca-fiber cordage, {{circa|900 CE|1100 CE}}, Kayenta Anasazi, Twin Cave House, Arizona]]
Yuccas are widely grown as [[ornamental plant]]s in gardens.

Yucca plants have provided food and fibers to humans. Several yucca species have fleshy fruits that are edible, although the seed they contain are not. Additionally, the flowers are edible both cooked and raw and the young flowering stems of some species are edible when cooked, however others may be toxic. The leaves, roots, stems, and hearts of the plants are all toxic due to high levels of [[saponins]].{{sfn|Tull|2013|p=38}}

Yucca rhizomes have been extensively used to produce soaps, shampoos, detergents and are still used to a lesser extent for this today.{{sfn|Oldfield|1997|p=6}} The leaves are still used to make trays and baskets in the southwestern US.{{sfn|Buchanan|1987|p=51}} Research efforts have been made into making use of the fibers as a substitute for [[sisal]] or [[abacá]]. However, such efforts were abandoned after conclusion of the Second World War.{{sfn|Buchanan|1987|pp=51–52}} While the strength of yucca fibers is good, their harvest is uneconomical unless the alternatives are unavailable.{{sfn|Webber|1953|p=8}}

Yucca extract, specifically from the rhizomes of [[Mojave yucca]] (''Yucca schidigera''), is also used as a foaming agent in some beverages such as root beer and soda.{{sfn|Tanaka et al. 1996|p=2}} Yucca powder is produced from yucca plants. Harvested logs are squeezed and the sap produced is then evaporated to produce the powder used in food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and as animal feed additives.{{sfn|Bononi et al. 2013|p=239}} The extract is also used to reduce surface tension in water to allow it to more easily penetrate into heavy soils during irrigation.{{sfn|Webber|1953|p=8}}

===Cultivation===
Very soon after the start of the [[Columbian exchange]] of plants across the Atlantic Ocean yuccas were planted in European gardens as ornamental plants with the first recorded bloom in England in 1604.{{sfn|Irish|Irish|2000|pp=49–50}} Though they were planted for productive uses in Mexico prior to the [[Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire|Spanish Conquest]], it is not recorded if they used them for ornimental purposes.{{sfn|Irish|Irish|2000|p=49}} The use of yucca as an ornamental was also not well documented in the early early history of the United States, though Thomas Jefferson did grow ''Yucca filamentosa'', which he called bear grass.{{sfn|Irish|Irish|2000|p=50}}

The [[spineless yucca]] (''Yucca gigantea'') is used as a common houseplant, though sometimes under the mistaken name of ''Yucca elephantipes''.{{sfn|Hodgson|2020}} When tropical yuccas are grown indoors they do not reach the large sizes they can achieve outdoors.{{sfn|Oakes|1990|p=399}}

Yuccas are widely grown as architectural plants providing a dramatic accent to landscape design with the distinctive silhouette of their leaves.{{sfn|Nottle|1996|p=171}} They are also particularly valued for their resistance to high temperatures and drought conditions.{{sfn|Francko|2003|p=241}} They tolerate a range of conditions but are best grown in full sun in subtropical or mild temperate areas.{{sfn|Brickell|2003|p=1093}} Some of the larger species of yucca are used as living barriers and fences.{{sfn|Oldfield|1997|p=6}} All yuccas require good drainage, but are tolerant of difficult conditions such as dry and poor soils.{{sfn|Nottle|1996|p=171}} In cold climates when there is enough precipitation to collect in the crown of the yucca plant the freeze thaw cycle can damage the plant and provide an entry for damaging fungi or bacteria.{{sfn|Francko|2003|p=91}}

Several species of yucca can be grown outdoors in [[temperateness|temperate]] climates, including:{{sfn|Brickell|2003|p=1093}}{{sfn|Francko|2003|pp=241–244}}
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* ''[[Yucca filamentosa]]''
* ''[[Yucca flaccida]]''
* ''[[Yucca glauca]]''
* ''[[Yucca gloriosa]]''
* ''[[Yucca recurvifolia]]''
* ''[[Yucca rostrata]]''
*  [[Yucca × schottii|''Yucca'' × ''schottii'']]
* ''[[Yucca treculeana]]''
{{div col end}}

===Gastronomy===
[[File:Flor de izote rumbo a Naolinco 01.jpg|thumb|Harvested yucca flowers on their way to [[Naolinco]], in [[Veracruz]], Mexico]]
The flower petals are commonly eaten in [[Central America]] and Mexico, but the plant's reproductive organs (the [[anthers]] and [[Ovary (botany)|ovaries]]) are first removed because of their bitterness.{{sfn|Pieroni|2005|p=33}}{{sfn|Spurrier|2013}} Petals have a flavor reminiscent of lettuce.{{sfn|Dunmire|Tierney|1997|p=148}}

In addition to being called {{Lang|es|flor de izote}} in Mexico yucca flowers are also called {{Lang|es|flores de palma}} (palm flowers) in [[Hidalgo (state)|Hidalgo]] and [[San Luis Potosí]], {{Lang|es|guayas}}, {{Lang|es|cuaresmeñas}}, or {{Lang|es|chochos}} in [[Veracruz]], and {{Lang|es|chochas}} in [[Tamaulipas]]. In central Mexico, in more rural places they are eaten as a food, as they were in pre-Hispanic times. Bunches are sold in public markets and eaten while very fresh and tender, before they become bitter. They are also cooked with scrambled eggs or in green chile salsa in this area.{{sfn|Muñoz Zurita|2000|p=258}}

Another way that yucca flowers are served is in a sauce after roasting where they are called {{Lang|es|chochos}} in {{Lang|es|tomachile}}. It is served this way as a snack or with salads in the [[Los Tuxtlas]] region of Veracruz.{{sfn|Muñoz Zurita|2000|p=182}} In the northern Mexican state of [[Coahuila]] yucca flowers are considered a traditional food for [[Lent]].{{sfn|Muñoz Zurita|2000|p=195}}

[[File:FLOR DE IZOTE DOS.jpg|thumb|Flower petals prepared Salvadorian style]]
In [[Guatemala]], they are boiled and eaten with lemon juice. In [[El Salvador]], the tender tips of stems are eaten and known locally as {{Lang|es|cogollo de izote}}.{{sfn|Pieroni|2005|p=33}}

These Central American and Mexican culinary traditions have been imported to the United States to areas such as Los Angeles where the flowers of the giant yucca are eaten in season in scrambled eggs, [[pupusas]], and tacos. Before being used as an ingredient the petals are often blanched for five minutes, though they are also eaten raw in small amounts.{{sfn|Spurrier|2013}}

In Mexico the fleshy fruits of some yucca species are called {{Lang|es|datiles}}, the same word as for the fruit of the [[date palm]], though they are unrelated. These fruits are used to produce alcoholic drinks.{{sfn|Muñoz Zurita|2000|p=258}} The edible fruit of the [[banana yucca]] becomes significantly sweeter when cooked with the pulp having a texture similar to applesauce.{{sfn|Zachos|2021}} Raw fruits have a favor similar to [[straightneck squash]].{{sfn|Dunmire|Tierney|1997|p=148}}

===Traditional uses===
The dried and split trunks of yuccas are soft and work well for a hearth in starting fires via friction.{{sfn|Wescott|1999|p=42}}

The young stalks of the [[soaptree yucca]] (''Yucca elata'') have been consumed by the [[Mescalero Apache]]. They are roasted over an open fire and then peeled to eat the soft interior. The flowers of the same species were frequently boiled to remove their bitter flavor or the flower pistil removed, as the most bitter part.{{sfn|Tull|2013|p=38}}

==Symbolism==
The yucca flower is the [[List of New Mexico state symbols#Flora|state flower]] of [[New Mexico]] in the southwestern United States. No species name is given in the law;{{sfn|New Mexico Legislature 2025}} however, the [[Secretary of State of New Mexico]] website notes that the [[soaptree yucca]] (''Yucca elata'') is one of the more widespread species in New Mexico.{{sfn|NMOSOS|2025}} It was officially designated as the state flower in 1927 by the state legislature after a survey of state students with the support of the New Mexico Federation of Women's Clubs.{{sfn|NMOSOS|2025}}

The yucca, specifically ''[[Yucca gigantea]]'', is also the national flower of [[El Salvador]], where it is known as {{Lang|es|flor de izote}}.{{sfn|Spurrier|2013}} It was officially designated the floral emblem in 1995.{{sfn|Castro|2023}} Salvadorans often compare their ability to recover from periods of repression to the ability of the flor de izote to grow back after being cut.{{sfn|Murray|Barry|1995|p=174}}

==See also==
*[[List of Yucca species|List of ''Yucca'' species]]

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
====Books====
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Addicott |first1=John F. |date=1985 |chapter=9. Competition in Mutualistic Systems |editor-last1=Boucher |editor-first1=Douglas H. |title=The Biology of Mutualism : Ecology and Evolution |url=https://archive.org/details/biologyofmutuali0000unse |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=217–247 |isbn=978-0-19-520483-4 |oclc=11971241 |access-date=26 April 2025}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Alexander |first1=Robert R. |last2=Pond |first2=Floyd W. |last3=Rodgers |first3=Jane E. |date=2008 |chapter=''Yucca'' |chapter-url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/rm/pubs_series/wo/wo_ah727/wo_ah727_1175_1177.pdf |editor-last1=Bonner |editor-first1=Franklin T. |editor-last2=Karrfalt |editor-first2=Robert P. |title=The Woody Plant Seed Manual |series=Agriculture Handbook, no. 727 |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service |isbn=9780160811319 |oclc=265729682  |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250421204406/https://www.fs.usda.gov/rm/pubs_series/wo/wo_ah727/wo_ah727_1175_1177.pdf |archive-date=21 April 2025 |access-date=10 May 2025}}
* {{Cite book |date=2003 |editor-last1=Brickell |editor-first1=Christopher |title=The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants |url=https://archive.org/details/royalhorticultur0000unse_g2i0 |url-access=registration |volume=2: K–Z |edition=Revised |location=London |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |isbn=978-0-7513-3738-9 |oclc=54974082 |access-date=18 April 2025}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Buchanan |first1=Rita |date=1987 |title=A Weaver's Garden |url=https://archive.org/details/weaversgarden0000buch |url-access=registration |location=Loveland, Colorado |publisher=Interweave Press |isbn=978-0-934026-28-4 |oclc=15614076 |access-date=18 April 2025}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Churchill |first1=Steven P. |date=1986 |chapter=106. Apiaceae |editor-last1=McGregor |editor-first1=Ronald L. |editor-last2=Barkley |editor-first2=T. M. |editor-last3=Brooks |editor-first3=Ralph E. |editor-last4=Schofield |editor-first4=Eileen K. |title=Flora of the Great Plains |url=https://archive.org/details/floraofgreatplai0000unse |url-access=registration |location=Lawrence, Kansas |publisher=University Press of Kansas |isbn=978-0-7006-0295-7 |oclc=13093762 |access-date=16 April 2025}}
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* {{Cite book |last1=Francko |first1=David A. |date=2003 |title=Palms Won't Grow Here and Other Myths : Warm-climate Plants for Cooler Areas |url=https://archive.org/details/palmswontgrowher0000fran |url-access=registration |location=Portland, Oregon |publisher=Timber Press |isbn=978-0-88192-575-3 |oclc=50339369 |access-date=2 May 2025}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Guillot Ortiz |first1=Daniel |last2=Van der Meer |first2=Piet |date=2009 |orig-date=In Print 2008 |title=El género Yucca L. en España |url=http://www.floramontiberica.org/Bouteloua/MonogBouteloua_02_Yucca.pdf |trans-title=The genus Yucca L. in Spain |series=Monografías de la Revista Bouteloua, 2 |language=es |edition=eBook |location=Jaca, Spain |publisher=Jolube |doi= |doi-access= |isbn=978-84-937291-8-9 |oclc=1123383406 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522030154/http://www.floramontiberica.org/Bouteloua/MonogBouteloua_02_Yucca.pdf |archive-date=22 May 2023 |access-date=18 April 2025}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Heil |first1=Kenneth D. |last2=O'Kane |first2=Steve L. Jr. |last3=Reeves |first3=Linda Mary |last4=Clifford |first4=Arnold |date=2013 |title=Flora of the Four Corners Region: Vascular Plants of the San Juan River Drainage, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah |url=https://archive.org/details/mobot31753003888887 |edition=First |location=St. Louis, Missouri |publisher=[[Missouri Botanical Garden]] |isbn=978-1-930723-84-9 |issn=0161-1542 |lccn=2012949654 |oclc=859541992 |access-date=15 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|Heil et al. 2013}}}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Ingram |first1=Stephen |date=2008 |title=Cacti, Agaves, and Yuccas of California and Nevada |url=https://archive.org/details/cactiagavesyucca0000ingr |url-access=registration |edition=First |location=Los Olivos, California |publisher=Cachuma Press |isbn=978-0-9789971-0-6 |oclc=190876422 |access-date=25 April 2025}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Irish |first1=Mary |last2=Irish |first2=Mark |date=2000 |title=Agaves, Yuccas, and Related Plants : A Gardener's Guide |url=https://archive.org/details/agavesyuccasrela0000iris |url-access=registration |location=Portland, Oregon |publisher=Timber Press |isbn=978-0-88192-442-8 |oclc=41966994 |access-date=17 April 2025}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Linford |first1=Jenny |date=2007 |title=A Concise Guide to Trees |url=https://archive.org/details/conciseguidetotr0000linf |url-access=registration |edition=First |location=Bath, England |publisher=Parragon |isbn=978-1-4054-8801-3 |oclc=271753740 |access-date=24 April 2025}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Murray |first1=Kevin |last2=Barry |first2=Tom |date=1995 |title=Inside El Salvador |url=https://archive.org/details/insideelsalvador0000murr |url-access=registration |edition=First |location=Albuquerque, New Mexico |publisher=Interhemispheric Resource Center |isbn=978-0-911213-53-9 |oclc=33403113 |access-date=24 April 2025}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Muñoz Zurita |first1=Ricardo |date=2000 |title=Diccionario Enciclopedico de Gastronomia Mexicana |url=https://archive.org/details/diccionarioencic0000rica |url-access=registration |trans-title=Encyclopedic Dictionary of Mexican Gastronomy |language=es |edition=First |location=México |publisher=Editorial Clío |isbn=978-970-663-094-0 |oclc=51687902 |access-date=24 April 2025}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Nottle |first1=Trevor |date=1996 |title=Gardens of the Sun |url=https://archive.org/details/gardensofsun0000nott |url-access=registration |location=Kenthurst, New South Wales |publisher=Kangaroo Press |isbn=978-0-86417-664-6 |oclc=38392784 |access-date=2 May 2025}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Oakes |first1=Albert J. |date=1990 |title=Ornamental Grasses and Grasslike Plants |url=https://archive.org/details/ornamentalgrasse0000oake |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=Van Nostrand Reinhold |isbn=978-0-442-23931-2 |oclc=20013313 |access-date=26 April 2025}}
* {{Cite book |date=1997 |editor-last1=Oldfield |editor-first1=Sara |editor-link1=Sara Oldfield |title=Cactus and Succulent Plants : Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_2831703905 |url-access=registration |location=Gland, Switzerland |publisher=[[IUCN]] |isbn=978-2-8317-0390-9 |oclc=39162390 |access-date=24 April 2025}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Opler |first1=Paul A. |last2=Tilden |first2=James W. |date=1999 |title=A field Guide to Western Butterflies |url=https://archive.org/details/fieldguidetowest0000ople |url-access=registration |edition=Second |location=Boston, Massachusetts |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company |isbn=978-0-395-79152-3 |oclc=1157041183 |access-date=18 April 2025}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Pieroni |first1=Andrea |author-link1=Andrea Pieroni |date=2005 |chapter=Gathering Food from the Wild |editor-last1=Prance |editor-first1=Ghillean T. |editor-link1=Ghillean Prance |editor-last2=Nesbitt |editor-first2=Mark |title=The cultural History of Plants |location=New York |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-92746-8 |oclc=57480711}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Stearn |first1=William T. |author1-link=William T. Stearn |date=1995 |title=Botanical Latin : History, Grammar, Syntax, Terminology, and Vocabulary |url=https://archive.org/details/botanicallatin00will |url-access=registration |language=en, la |edition=Fourth |location=Portland, Oregon |publisher=Timber Press |isbn=978-0-88192-321-6 |oclc=234102819 |access-date=8 April 2025}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Tanaka |first1=Osamu |last2=Tamura |first2=Yukiyoshi |last3=Masuda |first3=Hitoshi |last4=Mizutani |first4=Kenji |date=1996 |chapter=Application of Saponins in Food and Cosmetics: Saponins of Mohave Yucca and ''Sapindus mukurossi'' |editor-last1=Waller |editor-first1=George R. |editor-last2=Yamasaki |editor-first2=Kazuo |title=Saponins Used in Food and Agriculture |url=https://archive.org/details/saponinsusedinfo0405unse |url-access=registration |series=Advances in experimental medicine and biology, v. 405 |location=New York |publisher=Plenum Press |isbn=978-0-306-45394-6 |oclc=35229176 |access-date=18 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|Tanaka et al. 1996}}}}
* {{Cite book <!--Deny Citation Bot-->|last1=Thiede |first1=Joachim |date=2020 |chapter=''Yucca'' AGAVACEAE |editor-last1=Eggli |editor-first1=Urs |editor-last2=Nyffeler |editor-first2=Reto |title=Monocotyledons |edition=Second |location=Berlin, Germany |publisher=Springer |doi=10.1007/978-3-662-56486-8_109 |isbn=978-3-662-56486-8 |oclc=1145609055}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Tull |first1=Delena |date=2013 |title=Edible and Useful Plants of the Southwest : Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona : including recipes, teas and spices, natural dyes, medicinal uses, poisonous plants, fibers, basketry, and industrial uses |location=Austin, Texas |publisher=University of Texas Press |isbn=978-0-292-74827-9 |oclc=904364435}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Webber |first1=John Milton |date=1953 |title=Yuccas of the Southwest |url=https://archive.org/details/yuccasofsouthwes00webb |url-access=registration |series=Agriculture monograph, no. 17 |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture |oclc=2686417 |access-date=30 April 2025}}
* {{Cite book <!--Deny Citation Bot-->|last1=Welsh |first1=Stanley L. |author-link1=Stanley Larson Welsh |last2=Atwood |first2=N. Duane |last3=Goodrich |first3=Sherel |last4=Higgins |first4=Larry C. |date=1987 |title=A Utah Flora |url=https://archive.org/details/utahflora0000unse |url-access=registration |series=Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs, No. 9 |edition=First |location=Provo, Utah |publisher=Brigham Young University |jstor=23377658 |oclc=9986953694 |access-date=16 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|Welsh et al. 1987}}}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Wescott |first1=David |date=1999 |chapter=The Hand-drill and Other Fires |editor-last1=Wescott |editor-first1=David |editor-last2=Society of Primitive Technology |title=Primitive Technology : A Book of Earth Skills |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HlwUo0IccoMC |url-access=limited |location=Salt Lake City, Utah |publisher=Gibbs Smith Publisher |isbn=978-0-87905-911-8 |oclc=40545399}}
{{Refend}}

====Journals====
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Althoff |first1=David M. |last2=Segraves |first2=Kari A. |last3=Leebens-Mack |first3=James |last4=Pellmyr |first4=Olle |date=1 June 2006 |title=Patterns of Speciation in the Yucca Moths: Parallel Species Radiations within the ''Tegeticula yuccasella'' Species Complex |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7095998_Althoff_DM_Segraves_KA_Leebens-Mack_J_Pellmyr_O_Patterns_of_speciation_in_the_yucca_moths_parallel_species_radiations_within_the_Tegeticula_yuccasella_species_complex_Syst_Biol_55_398-410 |journal=Systematic Biology |volume=55 |issue=3 |pages=398–410 |doi=10.1080/10635150600697325 |issn=1063-5157 |jstor=20142936 |jstor-access= |pmid=16684719 |access-date=18 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|Althoff et al. 2006}}}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Angiosperm Phylogeny Group |date=May 2016 |last2=Chase |first2=Mark W. |author-link2=Mark Wayne Chase |last3=Christenhusz |first3=Maarten J. M. |author-link3=Maarten J. M. Christenhusz |last4=Fay |first4=Michael F. |author-link4=Michael Francis Fay |last5=Byng |first5=James W. |author-link5=James W. Byng |last6=Judd |first6=Walter S. |author-link6=Walter Stephen Judd |last7=Soltis |first7=Douglas E. |author-link7=Douglas E. Soltis |last8=Mabberley |first8=David J. |author-link8=David Mabberley |last9=Sennikov |first9=Alexander N. |last10=Soltis |first10=Pamela S. |author-link10=Pamela S. Soltis |last11=Stevens |first11=Peter F. |author-link11=Peter F. Stevens |title=An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG IV |journal=Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=181 |issue=1 |pages=1–20 |doi=10.1111/boj.12385 |issn=0024-4074 |ref={{sfnref|Angiosperm Phylogeny Group 2016}}}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Bononi |first1=M. |last2=Guglielmi |first2=G. |last3=Rocchi |first3=P. |last4=Tateo |first4=F. |date=2013 |title=First Data on the Antimicrobial Activity of ''Yucca filamentosa'' L. Bark Extracts |url=https://air.unimi.it/retrieve/handle/2434/222006/280825/yucca%20article%202013.pdf |journal=Italian Journal of Food Science |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=238–241 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812153350/https://air.unimi.it/retrieve/handle/2434/222006/280825/yucca%20article%202013.pdf |archive-date=12 August 2017 |access-date=18 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|Bononi et al. 2013}}}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Chamorro |first1=M. L. |date=19 December 2019 |last2=Anderson |first2=Robert S. |title=''Vauricia howdenae'' Chamorro and Anderson, a New Genus and Species of Rhinostomina from the Oriental Region, With a Key to World Genera of Orthognathini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Dryophthorinae) |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338127375_Vauricia_howdenae_Chamorro_and_Anderson_a_New_Gen_Species_of_Rhinostomina_from_the_Oriental_Region_with_to_World_Genera_of_Orthognathini_Coleoptera_Curculion_Dryophthorinae |journal=The Coleopterists Bulletin |volume=73 |issue=4 |pages=875 |doi=10.1649/0010-065X-73.4.875 |issn=0010-065X |jstor=48571695 |access-date=24 April 2025}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Chase |first1=Mark W. |last2=Reveal |first2=James L. |last3=Fay |first3=Michael F. |date=October 2009 |title=A subfamilial classification for the expanded asparagalean families Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae |journal=Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=161 |issue=2 |pages=132–136 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00999.x |issn=0024-4074}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Clary |first1=Karen H. |last2=Simpson |first2=Beryl B. |date=15 August 1995 |title=Systematics and character evolution of the genus ''Yucca'' L. (Agavaceae): Evidence from morphology and molecular analyses |journal=Botanical Sciences |issue=56 77–88 |doi=10.17129/botsci.1466 |doi-access=free |issn=2007-4298}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Cong |first1=Qian |last2=Li |first2=Wenlin |last3=Borek |first3=Dominika |last4=Otwinowski |first4=Zbyszek |last5=Grishin |first5=Nick V. |date=1 February 2019 |title=The Bear Giant-Skipper genome suggests genetic adaptations to living inside yucca roots |url=https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC6436644&blobtype=pdf |journal=Molecular Genetics and Genomics |volume=294 |issue=1 |pages=211–226 |doi=10.1007/s00438-018-1494-6 |issn= |pmid=30293092 |access-date=30 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|Cong et al. 2019}}|pmc=6436644}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Gray |first1=Ihlara C. |last2=Adolph |first2=Stephen C. |date=11 June 2024 |title=Joshua Tree Demography and Decomposition: Implications for Desert Night Lizard Habitat |journal=The Southwestern Naturalist |volume=68 |issue=2 |pages=137–146 |doi=10.1894/0038-4909-68.2.137 |issn=0038-4909}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Pellmyr |first1=Olle |date=2003 |title=Yuccas, Yucca Moths, and Coevolution: A Review |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/27275459 |journal=Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden |volume=90 |issue=1 |pages=35–55 |doi=10.2307/3298524 |issn=0026-6493 |jstor=3298524 |access-date=24 April 2025}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Pellmyr |first1=Olle |last2=Huth |first2=Chad J. |date=November 1994 |title=Evolutionary stability of mutualism between yuccas and yucca moths |journal=Nature |volume=372 |issue=6503 |pages=257–260 |doi=10.1038/372257a0}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Pellmyr |first1=Olle |last2=Leebens-Mack |first2=James |date=3 August 1999 |title=Forty million years of mutualism: Evidence for Eocene origin of the yucca-yucca moth association |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=96 |issue=16 |pages=9178–9183 |doi=10.1073/pnas.96.16.9178 |doi-access=free |pmid=10430916|pmc=17753 }}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Rentsch |first1=Jeremy D. |last2=Leebens‐Mack |first2=Jim |date=December 2014 |title=''Yucca aloifolia'' (Asparagaceae) opts out of an obligate pollination mutualism |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269190438_Yucca_aloifolia_Asparagaceae_opts_out_of_an_obligate_pollination_mutualism1 |journal=American Journal of Botany |volume=101 |issue=12 |pages=2062–2067 |doi=10.3732/ajb.1400351 |doi-access=free |issn=0002-9122 |jstor=43826610 |pmid=25480703 |access-date=8 May 2025}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Rohde |first1=Michael |last2=Geluso |first2=Keith |last3=Kruse |first3=Carter |last4=Harner |first4=Mary |date=2021 |title=Use of Soapweed Yucca (''Yucca glauca'') by rodents and other vertebrates in western Nebraska |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354435590_Use_of_Soapweed_Yucca_Yucca_glauca_by_rodents_and_other_vertebrates_in_western_Nebraska |journal=Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies |volume=41 |pages=61–70 |doi=10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.41.6 |doi-access=free |access-date=29 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|Rohde et al. 2021}}}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=Christopher Irwin |last2=Leebens-Mack |first2=James H. |date=25 January 2024 |title=150 Years of Coevolution Research: Evolution and Ecology of Yucca Moths (''Prodoxidae'') and Their Hosts |url=https://par.nsf.gov/servlets/purl/10516824 |journal=Annual Review of Entomology |volume=69 |issue=1 |pages=375–391 |doi=10.1146/annurev-ento-022723-104346 |doi-access=free |pmid=37758220 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250418012948/https://par.nsf.gov/servlets/purl/10516824 |archive-date=18 April 2025 |access-date=18 April 2025}}
{{Refend}}

====News sources====
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite news |last1=Spurrier |first1=Jeff |date=30 April 2013 |title=The giant yucca's edible bounty: seeds, fruit, even flowers |url=https://www.latimes.com/home/la-xpm-2013-apr-30-la-lh-giant-yucca-gigantea-elephantipes-20130429-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241222014139/https://www.latimes.com/home/la-xpm-2013-apr-30-la-lh-giant-yucca-gigantea-elephantipes-20130429-story.html |archive-date=22 December 2024 |access-date=21 April 2025}}
{{Refend}}

====Reports====
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite report |last1=McAlpine |first1=Kate G. |last2=Howel |first2=Clayson J. |date=2024 |title=List of Enviromental Weeds in New Zealand |url=https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/sfc340.pdf |language=en |location=Wellington, New Zealand |publisher=Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250222144313/https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/sfc340.pdf |archive-date=22 February 2025 |access-date=8 May 2025}}
{{Refend}}

====Web sources====
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite web |last1=Acadia University |last2=Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centre |last3=University of Toronto Mississauga |last4=University of British Columbia |date=2025 |title=''Yucca flaccida'' - Database of Vascular Plants of Canada (VASCAN) |url=https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/name/Yucca%20flaccida |website=Canadensys |access-date=17 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|VASCAN 2025}}}}
* {{Cite web |last1=APC |date=2025 |title=''Yucca aloifolia'' L. |url=https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/58553 |website=Australian Plants Census (APC) |publisher=Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria (CHAH) |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250503173652/https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/58553 |archive-date=3 May 2025 |access-date=3 May 2025 |ref={{sfnref|APC 2025a}}}}
* {{Cite web |last1=APC |date=2025 |title=''Yucca gloriosa'' L. |url=https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/203319 |website=Australian Plants Census (APC) |publisher=Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria (CHAH) |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250503174555/https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/203319 |archive-date=3 May 2025 |access-date=3 May 2025 |ref={{sfnref|APC 2025b}}}}
* {{Cite web |last1=APC |date=2025 |title='' Yucca whipplei'' Torr. |url=https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/203320 |website=Australian Plants Census (APC) |publisher=Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria (CHAH) |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250503174756/https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/203320 |archive-date=3 May 2025 |access-date=3 May 2025 |ref={{sfnref|APC 2025c}}}}
* {{Cite IUCN |last1=Ayala-Hernández |first1=M.M. |last2=Solano |first2=E. |last3=Véliz |first3=M. |date=2020 |title=''Yucca lacandonica'' |volume=2020 |page=e.T117428124A117470087 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T117428124A117470087.en |access-date=1 May 2025}}
* {{Cite web |last1=Castro |first1=Leyda |date=1 September 2023 |title=Nuestra Flor Nacional es la Pieza del Mes del MUHNES |url=https://www.cultura.gob.sv/nuestra-flor-nacional-es-la-pieza-del-mes-del-muhnes/ |trans-title=Our National Flower is the MUHNES Article of the Month |website=El Museo de Historia Natural de El Salvador, Ministerio de Cultura, Gobierno de El Salvador |trans-website=The Natural History Museum of El Salvador, Ministry of Culture, Government of El Salvador |language=es |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241212164824/https://www.cultura.gob.sv/nuestra-flor-nacional-es-la-pieza-del-mes-del-muhnes/ |archive-date=12 December 2024 |access-date=21 April 2025}}
* {{Cite IUCN |last1=Clary |first1=K. |last2=Puente |first2=R. |last3=Keith |first3=E. |last4=Salywon |first4=A. |last5=Hodgson |first5=W. |date=2020 |title=''Yucca cernua'' |volume=2020 |page=e.T117423110A117469982 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T117423110A117469982.en |access-date=1 May 2025 |ref={{sfnref|Clary et al. 2020}}}}
* {{Cite web |last1=Daniels |first1=Jaret C. |date=February 2009 |title=EENY 427/IN800: Yucca Giant-Skipper Butterfly, ''Megathymus yuccae'' (Boisduval & Leconte) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) |url=https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN800 |website=Ask IFAS - Powered by EDIS |location=Gainesville, Florida |publisher=University of Florida, IFAS Extension |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250328075121/https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN800 |archive-date=28 March 2025 |access-date=7 June 2010}}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.worldplants.de/ |title=Synonymic Checklist and Distribution of the World Flora. Version 25.02 |last1=Hassler |first1=Michael |date=13 February 2025 |website=World Plants |access-date=15 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|Hassler 2025}}}}
* {{Cite IUCN |last1=Hernández Sandoval |first1=L. |last2=Sánchez |first2=E. |last3=Hernández-Martínez |first3=M.M. |last4=Ayala-Hernández |first4=M.M. |last5=Zamudio |first5=S. |date=2020 |title=''Yucca queretaroensis'' |volume=2020 |page=e.T117428396A117470162 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T117428396A117470162.en |access-date=1 May 2025 |ref={{sfnref|Hernández Sandoval et al. 2020}}}}
* {{Cite web <!--Deny Citation Bot-->|last1=Hess |first1=William J. |last2=Robbins |first2=R. Laurie |date=30 July 2020 |orig-date=In print 2002 |url=https://dev.floranorthamerica.org/Yucca |title=''Yucca'' |website=[[Flora of North America]] |page=423 |isbn=978-0-19-515208-1 |oclc=65199362 |access-date=15 April 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250415175018/https://dev.floranorthamerica.org/Yucca |archive-date=15 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|Hess & Robbins 2020a}}}}
* {{Cite web <!--Deny Citation Bot-->|last1=Hess |first1= William J. |last2=Robbins |first2=R. Laurie |date=30 July 2020 |orig-date=In print 2002 |url=http://dev.floranorthamerica.org/Yucca_brevifolia |title=''Yucca brevifolia'' |website=[[Flora of North America]] |page=426 |language=en |isbn=978-0-19-515208-1 |oclc=65199362 |access-date=16 May 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250516181312/https://dev.floranorthamerica.org/Yucca_brevifolia |archive-date=16 May 2025 |ref={{sfnref|Hess & Robbins 2020b}}}}
* {{Cite web |last1=Hodgson |first1=Larry |date=1 December 2020 |title=Yucca: the November 2020 Houseplant of the Month |url=https://laidbackgardener.blog/2020/12/01/yucca-the-november-2020-houseplant-of-the-month/ |website=Laidback Gardener |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730101443/https://laidbackgardener.blog/2020/12/01/yucca-the-november-2020-houseplant-of-the-month/ |archive-date=30 July 2023 |access-date=18 April 2025}}
* {{cite act |last1=New Mexico Legislature |title=Senate Bill 498 |date=2025 |url=https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/25%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0498.HTML |institution=57th Legislature - State of New Mexico |access-date= |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250331184839/https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/25%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0498.HTML |archive-date=31 March 2025 |ref={{sfnref|New Mexico Legislature 2025}}}}
* {{Cite web |last1=NMOSOS |date=2025 |title=State Flower |url=https://www.sos.nm.gov/about-new-mexico/state-flower/ |website=New Mexico Office of the Secretary of State |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=24 April 2025}}
* {{Cite OED |last1=OED |Yucca, N. |5006883936 |ref={{sfnref|OED 2025}}}}
* {{Cite POWO |last1=POWO |date=2025 |id=24346-1 |title=''Hesperoyucca'' (Engelm.) Trel. |access-date=16 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|POWO 2025a}}}}
* {{cite POWO |last1=POWO |date=2025 |id=30003895-2 |title=''Yucca'' L. |access-date=9 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|POWO 2025b}}}}
* {{cite POWO |last1=POWO |date=2025 |id=77254022-1 |title=''Yucca'' × ''quinnarjenii'' Hochstätter |access-date=9 May 2025 |ref={{sfnref|POWO 2025c}}}}
* {{Cite IUCN |last1=Puente |first1=R. |last2=Hodgson |first2=W. |last3=Salywon |first3=A. |date=2020 |title=''Yucca campestris'' |volume=2020 |page=e.T117423080A117469967 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T117423080A117469967.en |access-date=1 May 2025}}
* {{Cite web |last1=RAE |last2=ASALE |date=2024 |title=izote |url=https://dle.rae.es/izote |website=Diccionario de la lengua española |language=es |publisher=Real Academia Española, Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241228074803/https://dle.rae.es/izote |archive-date=28 December 2024 |access-date=23 November 2021}}
* {{Cite IUCN |last1=Solano |first1=E. |last2=Ayala-Hernández |first2=M.M. |last3=Puente |first3=R. |date=2020 |title=''Yucca endlichiana'' |volume=2020 |page=e.T117427919A117470027 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T117427919A117470027.en |access-date=1 May 2025}}
* {{Cite WFO |last1=WFO |date=2025 |title=''Yucca'' L. |id=4000041098 |access-date=9 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|WFO 2025a}}}}
* {{Cite WFO |last1=WFO |date=2025 |title=''Yucca jaegeriana'' (McKelvey) L.W.Lenz |id=0000837187 |access-date=15 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|WFO 2025b}}}}
* {{Cite WFO |last1=WFO |date=2025 |title=''Yucca muscipula'' Ayala-Hern., Ríos-Gómez, E.Solano & García-Mend. |id=1000031171 |access-date=15 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|WFO 2025c}}}}
* {{Cite WFO |last1=WFO |date=2025 |title=''Yucca pinicola'' Zamudio |id=1000001855 |access-date=15 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|WFO 2025d}}}}
* {{Cite WFO |last1=WFO |date=2025 |title=''Yucca'' × ''schottii'' Engelm. Zamudio |id=0000752221 |access-date=24 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|WFO 2025e}}}}
* {{Cite web |last1=Zachos |first1= Ellen |date=11 April 2021 |title=The Edible Fruit of Banana Yucca |url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/banana-yucca-aka-yucca-baccata-1337949 |website=The Spruce Eats  |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250308070959/https://www.thespruceeats.com/banana-yucca-aka-yucca-baccata-1337949 |archive-date=8 March 2025 |access-date=10 May 2025}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons}}
{{Wikispecies}}
* {{Wiktionary-inline|Yucca}}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Yucca|short=x}}

{{US state flowers}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q156317}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Yucca| ]]
[[Category:Agavoideae]]
[[Category:Asparagaceae genera]]
[[Category:North American desert flora]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Saponaceous plants]]
[[Category:Vegetable fibers]]
[[Category:Fiber plants]]