Yucca Species

Pale Yucca

• The pale yucca (Yucca pallida) is endemic to the Grand Prairie and Blackland Prairie regions of north central Texas. Pale yuccas have bluish-green or sage-green leaves. This plant features an inflorescence (or a stem with a cluster of flowers) standing 3 to 4 feet tall. A pale yucca's flowers are usually a pale yellow and bloom in April and May. Pale yuccas grow best in full sunlight, but are able to grow in partial shade.

Adam's Needle

• Native throughout the southern and western United States, Adam's needles (Yucca filamentosa) receive their names from the sharp spines at the end of their leaves. These plants grow between 3 to 15 feet tall and have a width of 3 to 4 feet. In the summer, an Adam's needle produces a flower spike in the middle of the plant. The spike features flowers with white petals.

Joshua Tree

• Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) grow in the barren deserts of the Southwestern United States. California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada are the only states where Joshua trees occur. These trees live in the high desert, or desert regions that are 2,000 to 6,000 feet above sea level. Most Joshua trees reach heights of 20 to 30 feet. At 8 to 10 years old, Joshua trees produce their first flowers. A Joshua tree's flower has a musty odor and waxy white petals.

Banana Yucca

• Banana yuccas (Yucca baccata) are native to deserts in the Southwest United States and Northern Mexico. The namesake of the banana yucca derives from the plant's banana-shaped fruit. The fruit is 4 to 6 inches long and edible for human consumption. A flower stalk rises 2 to 3 feet above the plant's leaves and produces clusters of bell-shaped flowers, which bloom in March and April.

Spineless Yucca

• The tallest yucca plant in the United States is the spineless yucca (Yucca elephantipes), which grows up to at least 30 feet. These plants have a spread of 15 feet and have 4-foot long leaves and 4-foot thick trunks. The “spineless” term comes from the plant's leaves; they are soft and do not have spines running down the center. In the United States, the Southwest, South Texas and South Florida are the only regions with the proper tropical climate for cultivating spineless yuccas.