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Yucca baccata

Common name: Spanish Bayonet Family: Agavaceae
Author: Torr. Botanical references: 200, 235
Synonyms: Yucca circinata (Baker.)
Known Hazards: The roots contain saponins[222]. 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[K]. 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[K].
Range: South-western N. America - Colorado to Texas, California and Mexico.
Habitat: Dry slopes usually on rocky or sandy soils.
Edibility Rating (1-5): 4Medicinal Rating (1-5):1

Other Common Names:From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
Amole [S], Banana Yucca [S,B,P,DEN2,FEIS], Blue Yucca [H], Spanish Bayonnet [H], Wild Date [H], Yucca, Banana [S],
Epithets:From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
baccata = bearing berries;
Systematics:From a USDA Plants Database
Order: Liliales. Century-plant family
Other Range Info: From the Ethnobotany Database
Mexico(Kickapoo)

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 0.9m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 7. It is in leaf all year, in flower in August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Hand. We rate it 4/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds, By Walls, By South Wall, By East Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Flowers; Fruit; Leaves; Seed; Stem.

Fully ripe fruit - raw, cooked or dried for winter use[1, 2, 3, 62, 92, 94, 257]. A staple food for several native North American Indian tribes, the fruits are large, fleshy, sweet and palatable[85, 92, 95, 183]. The ovoid fruit is about 17cm long and 7cm wide[200]. Considered to be a luxury by the native North American Indians[207], the fruits were often baked in ovens[216]. The cooked fruit can be formed into cakes and then dried for later use[257]. Large quantities of the fruit has caused diarrhoea in people who are not used to it[85]. The dried fruit can be dissolved in water to make a drink[257].
Flower buds - cooked[2, 62, 95, 183]. A soapy taste[85]. The older flowers are best[85], they are rich in sugar[94]. The flowers, harvested before the summer rains (which turn them bitter), have been used as a vegetable[257].
Flowering stems - cooked[257]. Harvested before the flowers open then roasted[257].
Seed - cooked. It can be roasted and then ground into a powder and boiled[62, 85].
The tender crowns of the plants have been roasted and eaten in times of food shortage[257].
The young leaves have been cooked as a flavouring in soups[257].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antiemetic; Laxative.

An infusion of the pulverized leaves has been used as an antiemetic to prevent vomiting[257].
The fruits have been eaten raw as a laxative[257].

Other Uses

Basketry; Brush; Fibre; Hair; Needles; Soap; String; Waterproofing; Weaving.

A fibre obtained from the leaves is used for making ropes, baskets and mats[21, 46, 57, 85, 92, 94, 95]. The fibre can be braided into a good quality rope[257].
The leaves can be reduced into fibre and then made into cloth[257]. To obtain the fibre, the terminal spine and a section of the back of the leaf are removed and pounded to free the fibre from the fleshy portion of the leaf[257]. Another method of obtaining the fibre was to fold the leaves into sections about 10cm long. The leaves were then boiled with a small quantity of cedar ashes. When sufficiently cooked, the leaves were placed in a bowl or basket and cooled, then youths and young women would peel off the epidermis and chew the leaves, starting at one end and finishing at the other. After chewing the leaves, the fibres were separated, straightened out and hung to dry. When required for weaving, they would first be soaked in water to soften them[257].
The whole leaf is sometimes split into sections and then tied together by square knots to make a rope[92, 257].
The leaf can be used as a paint brush[92]. Leaf slivers are used, the end being pounded to reveal the fibres[257]. The leaves have also been used to make small brushes for pottery decoration[257].
The leaf is used in basket making[216, 257].
Small roots have been used in making baskets[257]. They have been used to produce a red pattern in baskets[257].
The leaves can be split and then woven into mats[257].
The leaves can be split and used as a temporary string[257]. The leaf fibre has been braided into ropes[257].
The terminal spines have been used as needles[257].
The dried leaves have been boiled with gum, hardened, ground into a powder then mixed with water and used to make baskets waterproof[257].
The roots are rich in saponins and can be used crushed and then soaked in water to release the suds for use as a soap[21, 85, 95, 216, 257]. It makes a good hair wash[85, 94, 257] and can also be used on the body and for washing clothes[257]. A soap can also be obtained from the leaves and stems[257].

Cultivation details

Thrives in any soil but prefers a sandy loam and full exposure to the south[11]. Plants are hardier when grown on poor sandy soils[200]. Prefers a hot dry position[166], disliking heavy rain[3]. Established plants are very drought resistant[11].
Only hardy in the milder areas of Britain[3, 200]. Another report says that plants are hardy to at least -30°c[164]. A plant at Kew (1992) has survived the last 3 winters outdoors[K]. This plant is still thriving in 1999, though it has not grown much and has not flowered[K]. Another plant is thriving in an open sunny position at Cambridge Botanical Gardens and must have experienced temperatures of at least -10°c, probably somewhat lower[K].
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[233]. However, the crown will usually produce a number of sideshoots before it dies and these will grow on to flower in later years[233].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200].
Members of this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[233]

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Pre-soaking the seed for 24 hours in warm water may reduce the germination time. It usually germinates within 1 - 12 months if kept at a temperature of 20°c. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse or cold frame for at least their first two winters. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer and consider giving them some winter protection for at least their first winter outdoors - a simple pane of glass is usually sufficient[K]. Seed is not produced in Britain unless the flowers are hand pollinated.
Root cuttings in late winter or early spring. Lift in April/May and remove small buds from base of stem and rhizomes. Dip in dry wood ashes to stop any bleeding and plant in a sandy soil in pots in a greenhouse until established[78].
Division of suckers in late spring[3]. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the following spring.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

References for yucca baccata (a possible synonym).

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[3] Simmons. A. E. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles 1972 ISBN 0-7153-5531-7
A very readable book with information on about 100 species that can be grown in Britain (some in greenhouses) and details on how to grow and use them.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[57] Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.
Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.

[62] Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982 ISBN 0442222009
Very readable.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[85] Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9
A superb book. Very readable, it gives the results of the authors experiments with native edible plants.

[92] Balls. E. K. Early Uses of Californian Plants. University of California Press 1975 ISBN 0-520-00072-2
A nice readable book.

[94] Sweet. M. Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. Naturegraph Co. 1962 ISBN 0-911010-54-8
Useful wild plants in Western N. America. A pocket guide.

[95] Saunders. C. F. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications 1976 ISBN 0-486-23310-3
Useful wild plants of America. A pocket guide.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[166] Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990
A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.

[216] Whiting. A. F. Ethnobotany of the Hopi North Arizona Society of Science and Art 1939
A very good guide the the plant uses of the N. American Hopi Indians.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[235] Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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