Plants of Pacific Northwest

Yucca Recurvifolia

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Plate 292e Plate 292f

Plate 292g Plate 292h

Plate 292i

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Yucca Recurvifolia: Yucca, curveleaf yucca, branching yucca

These photos were made in Mid-January 2003 in Vancouver BC

Thrives in any soil but prefers a sandy loam and full exposure to the south. Can succeed in light shade. Plants are hardier when grown on poor sandy soils. Established plants are very drought tolerant. Hardy to at least -15°c, this species is the most easily cultivated of the Yuccas, resisting snow, damp and atmospheric pollution. A very ornamental plant. Closely related to Y. gloriosa, and possibly a sterile hybrid. In the plants native environment, its flowers can only be pollinated by a certain species of moth. This moth cannot live in Britain and, if fruit and seed is required, hand pollination is necessary. This can be quite easily and successfully done using something like a small paint brush. Individual crowns are monocarpic, dying after flowering. However, the crown will usually produce a number of sideshoots before it dies and these will grow on to flower in later years. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. Members of this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits.

Pointed tip is not stiff and dangerous like other yuccas. Also unlike other yuccas it is not native to the desert.

The roots contain saponins. Whilst saponins are quite toxic to people, they are poorly absorbed by the body and so tend to pass straight through. They are also destroyed by prolonged heat, such as slow baking in an oven. Saponins are found in many common foods such as beans. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc. in order to stupefy or kill the fish.