Yucca filamentosa - (image 1 of 4)
Taxonomy
Family: Agavaceae
Habitat
Sand dunes and dry sandy habitats, especially near the coast.
Associates
Distribution
MD to FL and LA; naturalized much further north, especially in sandy areas.
Morphology
Herbaceous perennial from a short caudex; leaves numerous, stiff, linear-elliptic to linear-spatulate, to 80 cm long and 2-7 cm wide, fibrous along the margins, abruptly prolonged into a short, stout spine, more or less scabrous; inflorescence paniculate, many-flowered, to 1-3 m, the base elevated well above the leaves; tepals 5-7 cm long and 2-3 cm wide, rounded above, short-acuminate; style nearly 1 cm; stigmas slender; fruit thick-cylindric, 2-4 cm; seeds 6 mm.
Notes
Flowers June to September
Wetland indicator: NA
A few other species found in the southeastern U.S. include Y. aloifolia, Y. flaccida (sometimes treated as a variety of Y. filamentosa), and Y. glariosa .
References
Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.
The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY
USDA, NRCS. 2002. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov).
National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
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Michael Hough © 2018 |