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The Yuccas are a genus of 40-50 species of perennials, shrubs, and trees in the agave family Agavaceae, notable for their rosettes of tough, sword-shaped leaves and large clusters of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry parts of North America, Central America, and the West Indies, and have been spread more widely as decorative plants for gardens.

Species and common names

• Aloe yucca , Yucca aloifolia
• Narrow-leaved yucca , Yucca angustissima
• Plain's yucca , Yucca angustifolia
• Arkansas yucca , Yucca arkansana
• Banana yucca, Yucca baccata Also known as Blue Yucca and Datil.
• Alpine yucca , Yucca baileyi
• Joshua tree, Yucca brevifolia (Engelmann)
• Yucca of the Boundary , Yucca confinis
• Buckley's yucca , Yucca constricta
• Palma China yucca , Yucca decipiens
• Soaptree yucca, Yucca elata
• Spineless yucca , Yucca elephantipes
• Pitilla , Yucca endlichiana
• Faxon yucca , Yucca faxoniana
• Spoonleaf yucca , also known as Adam's needle, Yucca filamentosa
• Palma Chuna yucca , Yucca filifera
• Flaccid leaf yucca , Yucca flaccida
• Great Plains yucca , Yucca glauca
• Moundlily yucca , also known as the Soft-tipped yucca, Yucca gloriosa

• Sahuiliqui yucca , Yucca grandiflora
• Harriman's yucca , Yucca harrimaniae
• Izote , Yucca jaliscensis
• Kanab yucca , Yucca kanabensis
• Tropical yucca , Yucca lacandonica
• Soco yucca , Yucca madrensis
• Dwarf yucca , Yucca nana
• Pale yucca, Yucca pallida
• Izote , Yucca periculosa
• Curve-leaf yucca , Yucca recurvifolia
• Blue yucca , Yucca rigida
• Big Bend yucca , Yucca rostrata
• Twist-leaf yucca , also known as the Texas yucca, Yucca rupicola
• Mojave yucca, Yucca schidigera
• Mountain yucca , also known as Hoary yucca, Yucca schottii
• Torrey yucca , Yucca torreyi
• Trecul's yucca , also known as Texas bayonette, Yucca treculiana
• Datilillo , Yucca valida
• Our Lord's Candle , also known as the Quixote yucca, Yucca whipplei
• Yucatan yucca , Yucca yucatana

Additional species

• New Mexico false yucca , Yucca funifera, also named the Giant Hesperaloe and listed as Hesperaloe funifera
• Yucca intermedia
• Yucca standleyi
• Yucca thornberi

The Great Plains yucca (Yucca glauca) is the state flower of New Mexico.

Because of their omnipresence in the southwestern United States, yuccas have lent their name to several places:

• Yucca Valley, California
• Yucca Mountain, Nevada
• Yucca House National Monument

See also

• Yucca moth

References

• Mary & Gary Irish, Agaves, Yuccas, and Related Plants: a Gardener's Guide (Timber Press, 2000) ISBN 0-88192-442-3
• Common names of yucca species