Family: Asparagaceae
Common name: Beaked yucca, Big bend yucca, Adam’s yucca, Beaked blue yucca, Silver yucca, Nordstroms’s yucca
Beaked yucca is a unique, beautiful, tree-like plant that grows in dry, desert-like weather conditions. They are native to regions of Southern America and Mexico, and can be grown in countries with dry, arid weather, or in glass houses with controlled temperatures.
Tree characteristics
Beaked yucca plants grow to a height of 2-3 meters with a thick, stout, trunk-like stem that is covered with a skirt of dried and wilted leaves that bend down to cover the stem. The stem can be single or branched often depending on the age of the tree and the growing conditions.
Leaves of the Beaked yucca are very distinctive – a thick rosette of long, narrow, stiff leaves that taper into a sharp tip.
These leaves are blue-gray or bluish-green in color giving the plant its name Blue yucca and Silver yucca. They can reach a length of 60-70 cm and is only about 10-15 mm wide.
The tough-leathery leaves have a waxy coating on them that helps retain moisture in the dry weather. The stem and leaves are thick and leathery as an adaption to the desert-like weather conditions.
Flowers of the Beaked yucca are tall and showy clusters of pale yellow flowers borne on thick flower spikes. Each individual flower is bell-shaped and about 3-4 cm in diameter.
These flowers have a delicate fragrance that attract pollinators to them. Beaked yucca flowers rise up from the center of the rosette-like foliage and stand tall, about 1.2 to 2 meters above the level of the leaves.
Fruits of the Beaked yuca are large, pod-like capsules that have a distinct beak giving the plant its name. These pods contain numerous seeds that are encased in a tough, fibrous shell.
Fruits are 10-15 cm in diameter, initially green, later turning brown as they ripen. These fruits are a source of food for wildlife including birds and rodents.
Gardening tips
Beaked yucca plants thrive in full sun, and enjoy receiving about 5-6 hours of direct sunlight. They do not need watering, pruning, or fertilization making them ideal for arid weather conditions.
These plants are good for xeriscaping or low-water gardening. They are slow growers and take many years to reach full height.
The wilted, fallen leaves that are cover the stem can be cut off when these plants are grown in controlled weather conditions, making their trunk look like a leathery, thick, snake skin. In the wild, these leaves provide protection for the trunk, and also prevent water loss.
Uses of Beaked yucca
These plants are mostly grown as ornamentals in desert weather or in glass houses. Their tough, sturdy nature and adaptation to dry weather conditions make them very good landscaping plants.
They are also used in xeriscaping and sustainable gardening, that uses very little water. The thick mop of leaves makes ideal nesting spaces for birds and small animals, with protection from predators and harsh weather. Fruits of the tree are also consumed with these animals.
Propagation
Propagation is through seeds, or from small pups that grow at the base of the parent plant.
Seed propagation is very slow and can take many months to form a viable plant. Replanting pups that grow around the parent plant is a much faster form of propagation.
Photographed at: Bangalore International airport, Terminal 2
