Banana Yucca

Yucca baccata

Plant Details:

Plant Type: Cactus or Succulent

Plant Family: Asparagaceae

Plant Description: Rosette-forming evergreen shrub. Long lance-shaped gray to blue-green leaves grow from the woody base. Leaf tips are quite stiff and form a sharp spine. Creamy white pendant flowers grow on tall stalks above the plant in spring. With two or more plants the flowers will grow an edible banana-shaped fruit that was used as a food source by native Americans. Requires little or no water once established. This and other species of yucca have unique, interdependent relationships with Yucca Moths, each with its corresponding partner (Tegeticula or Parategeticula spp.).

Maintenance:

Maintenance Type: Succulent

Plant Care: Succulent (perennials with fleshy leaves and no spines): Remove dead leaves and stems. Succulents with stems that die back in the fall may be left for winter interest or removed once dried. Trim as necessary to retain a desirable shape.

Video: Spring Maintenance of Succulents - Spring Cleanup

Plant Attributes:

Mature Size: 4' tall and wide

Utah Native: Yes

Nativar: No

Plant Select: Unknown

Pollinator Favorite: Yes

Localscapes: Foundation Plant, Perimeter Plant

Evergreen: Yes

Foliage Interest: No

Foliage Colors: Blue-Green, Green, Silver-Green

Bloom Colors: Purple, Red, White

Bloom Seasons: Late Spring

Bloom Period: May - Jun

Erosion Control: Unknown

Ground Cover: No

Edible: Yes

Fire Wise: Yes

Growing Conditions:

Hardiness Zone: 5 to 12

Light Requirement: Full Sun (6+ hrs sun), Part Shade (4-6 hrs morning sun), Part Sun (4-6 hrs afternoon sun)

Irrigation Requirement:

Very Low (Water to Establish)

Salt Tolerant: Yes

Deer Tolerant: Yes

Garden Location:

Neighborhood Landscapes
- A Desert with Altitude
Planting Path
- Nursery Shopping

Garden Staff Tips & Insights:

Edibility: Stems, leaf bases, flowers, emerging stalks and fruits of most types of yucca are edible. However, it is recommended to eat yucca only after cooking because some parts of the plant, especially the sap, are mildly toxic to humans. Red yucca should not be consumed because it is not edible and considered poisonous.

Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter