[Illustration: Yucca torreyi
Yucca schidigera
Yucca arizonica]
Common Names: BROAD-LEAF YUCCAS, SPANISH BAYONET, (_AMOLE_),
(_DATIL_), SOAPWEED
Arizona desert. (_Yucca arizonica_). Creamy. April-May.
California desert. (_Yucca schidigera_). White-purple. March-April.
Texas desert. (_Yucca torreyi_). Creamy. March-April.
Lily family. Size: Reaches height of 10 to 15 feet.
Although, in general, the Broad-leafed Yuccas do not reach tree size,
the Giant Dagger (_Yucca carnerosana_) of Big Bend National Park reaches
a height of 20 feet. In dense stands or “forests” these Yuccas, with
their huge clusters of creamy, wax-like, lightly scented, bell-shaped
flowers produce a never-to-be-forgotten display in blooming season.
The Yucca is the state flower of New Mexico.
Yuccas are often confused by newcomers to the desert with three other
groups of plants: the _Agaves_ (Century Plant), _Dasylirion_ (Sotol) and
_Nolinas_ (Beargrass).
The plate on the opposite page has been devoted to a comparison of the
four groups, and by studying it carefully, the characteristics by which
each may be identified can be determined.
Yucca leaf fibers have long been used by Indians for fabricating rope,
matting, sandals, basketry, and coarse cloth. Indians also ate the buds,
flowers, and emerging flower stalks. The large, pulpy fruits were eaten
raw or roasted, and the seeds ground into meal.
Roots of the Yuccas have saponifying properties and are still gathered
by some tribes and used as soap, especially for washing the hair.
Flowers are browsed by livestock. (See Narrow-leaf Yuccas and
Joshua-tree). _Yucca baccata_, a broad-leaf species found in the
Southwest outside of the desert areas, is discussed in “Flowers of the
Southwest Mesas.”