Banana Yucca

Oct 8, 2017 | Plant of the Month

Banana yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana yucca – Yucca baccata

Banana YuccaPlant Form: Shrub
Plant Size: 3′ x 2′
Plant Type: Evergreen
Water Usage: Low
Sunlight: Sun, Partial Shade
Colors: White

Physical Description: Short, sword-like, stiff but sometimes slightly twisted or curving, semi-succulent leaves with a sharp spine at the tip, arise from a crown at or just above ground level. The rosette of encircling leaves encases a clustered mass of thick, waxy, creamy-white, bell-shaped flowers whose outer petals are streaked red-brown to maroon. Spring flowers are followed by large banana-shaped fruit.

Care and Maintenance: Sharp pointed leaf tips are dangerous. Gardener’s notes: Trunkless, or nearly so. Forms single rosette or may spread slowly by offsets to form large, dense clusters. Both flowers and fruit are edible. Southwest Plant of the Month material courtesy of NMSU ACES.