Yucca filifera

Yucca filifera is a member of the subfamily Agavaceae, family Asparagaceae, native to central Mexico.

Not to be confused with the invalidly published name Yucca filifera Engelm., a synonym of Yucca baccata

Yucca filifera
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Agavoideae
Genus: Yucca
Species:
Y. filifera
Binomial name
Yucca filifera
Chabaud
Synonyms[1]
  • Yucca australis (Engelm.) Trel.
  • Yucca baccata var. filifera (Chabaud) Schelle
  • Yucca canaliculata var. filifera (Chabaud) Fenzl

History

It was discovered in 1840 in northeastern Mexico between Saltillo and Parras (23°37′0″N 102°34′30″W) on 19 May 1847 by merchant and explorer Josiah Gregg.[1] It was later introduced to Europe and described for science by J. Benjamin Chabaud (1833-1915) in 1876.[1]

Description
Yucca filifera as described by Chabaud, 1876

A tall, heavily branched yucca, Y. filifera has straight, ensiform leaves growing in rosette-shaped bunches from the end of each stem.[2] Its inflorescence hangs over and is made of many separate white flowers.[2]

Cultivation

Y. filifera can be cultivated in xerophytic conditions. It is used as roof covering and as a source of fibre for handcrafting by the indigenous people, who call it palma china or izote.[3]

Am enormous specimen of Yucca filifera stands in front of the Anderson Gallery at the Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University. It was transplanted to this site in the 1880s. In the spring, it bears long clusters of white flowers, some well over a meter long.[4]

See also
  • Zdeněk Ježek; Libor Kunte (July 2007). Encyclopedia of Succulents. Bookmart Limited. ISBN 978-90-366-1705-5. Retrieved 25 March 2013.

References
  1. Yucca filifera Chabaud, Tropicos, Missouri Botanical Garden, 2013
  2. R.J. Hodgkiss, The Yucca Page, 20 February 2012, accessed 25 March 2013
  3. Palma china, Izote, Palma corriente, Palma grande - Yucca filifera, InfoJardin, Jardineros Paisajismo Plantas, 2013, accessed 25 March 2013
  4. Yucca filifera, from Trees of Stanford
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