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Yucca recurvifolia

Common name:		Family:	Agavaceae
Author:	Salisb.	Botanical references:	11, 72, 200
Synonyms:	Yucca recurva (Haw.), Yucca pendula (Groenl.), Yucca gloriosa recurvifolia ((Salisb.)Engelm.)
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-eastern N. America - Georgia to Missouri and Louisiana.
Habitat:	Dunes on coastal plains[72].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Y. concava[B,P] Y. filamentosa[B,E,G,H,HORTIPLEX,P] Y. filamentosa var. concava[B,P] Y. filamentosa var. smalliana[B,P] Y. flaccida[B,P] Y. smalliana[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Adam' Needle [E], Adam's Needle [H,P], Adam's-needle [B], Bear's Thread [H], Curveleaf Yucca [P], Soap Root [H], Virjinya Avizesi [E], Yucca [H],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Liliales. Century-plant family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Egypt Turkey Us

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 2.5m by 1m . It is hardy to zone 8. It is in leaf all year, in flower from September to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Hand. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 0/5 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 can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure. It can tolerate atmospheric pollution.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge.

Edible Uses

Flowers Fruit Stem.

Fruit - raw or cooked.
Flowers - raw or cooked. They are delicious raw, and can also be dried, crushed and used as a flavouring[164]. A crisp crunchy texture, the flowers are very substantial and need to be well chewed. They have a slightly bitter flavour[K].
Flowering stem - cooked and used like asparagus[164].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Fibre Soap.

A fibre obtained from the leaves is used for making ropes, baskets and mats[82. 169].
The roots are rich in saponins and can be used as a soap substitute[82].

Cultivation details

Thrives in any soil but prefers a sandy loam and full exposure to the south[11]. Can succeed in light shade[K]. Plants are hardier when grown on poor sandy soils[200]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[190].
Hardy to at least -15° c[187, 200], this species is the most easily cultivated of the Yuccas, resisting snow, damp and atmospheric pollution[11].
A very ornamental plant[1], there are some named varieties[182].
Closely related to Y. gloriosa[1], and possibly a sterile hybrid[11].
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].

Cultivars

'': No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Suppliers

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

Web References

[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Yucca filamentosa (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

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]).

[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.

[72] Small. Manual of the Southeastern Flora.
Getting rather dated now, it covers Southeastern N. America. No pictures, it is not for the casual reader.

[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.

[82] Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965 ISBN 0-486-20278-X
Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader.

[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.

[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[190] Chatto. B. The Dry Garden. Dent 1982 ISBN 0460045512
A good list of drought resistant plants with details on how to grow them.

[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.

[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.

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