Soaptree Yucca
Yucca elata

 

Range

Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts from Trans-Pecos Texas west through central New Mexico to central Arizona and south into northern Mexico, between 1500 and 6000 feet.

Habitat

Grows in dry, sandy plains, mesas and desert washes, as well as in desert grasslands.

Flowers

Clusters of long, bell-shaped, white flowers, 2 inches long with 6 broad, pointed sepals, crowd 10 inch stalks in the spring.

Fruit

A 1 1/2 to 3 inch long light brown capsule matures during the summer. It splits open into 3 parts revealing many small, black, thin, rough, seeds.

Description

The Soaptree Yucca is one of the most characteristic plants of the Chihuahuan Desert. It is an abundant evergreen, palm-like shrub or small tree growing 10 to 18 feet high. The gray trunk -- with a diameter of 6 to 12 inches -- is slightly furrowed below and covered with dead leaves at the top. It is usually unbranched and has very long, narrow leaves. The grasslike leaves are flat and linear, growing 1 to 3 inches long and about 1/2 inch wide. The yellowish, leathery leaves have fine white threads along the edges and end in a sharp spine.

The Soaptree Yucca derives its name from the soapy material in its roots and trunks which made this plant a popular substitute for soap. Native Americans used the coarse fiber of the leaves for weaving baskets. Cattle enjoy the tender young stalks, and chopped trunks and leaves are still utilized as emergency cattle feed in times of drought.

Click here to read about the yucca moth.