Over vast areas of the arid west there is little for the bees. A few
plants stand the long continued periods of drought even where there
is no irrigation, and add to the total production of the apiaries in
the irrigated regions. Among the attractive plants may be mentioned
the yucca, also called Spanish bayonet, Spanish dagger, Adam’s needle,
mountain queen and Roman candle. There are about a dozen species,
mostly from Dakota west to the Pacific and southward. They are common
in Mexico and Central America. They are also to be found in the sandy
sections along the Atlantic Coast from North Carolina to Florida and
Louisiana.
When in bloom the plant is very ornamental. A single tall flower stalk
contains many large, white or cream-colored flowers. In many localities
where the plant does not grow wild, it is grown for ornament, as in
Figure 151, which shows the late Eugene Secor admiring a beautiful
specimen that grew on his grounds.
In “Honey Plants of California,” Richter lists =Yucca whipplie= as an
important source of nectar, which, in localities where it is abundant,
yields surplus. In that State its blooming period is June and July.
[Illustration: Fig. 152. The Spanish bayonet is a showy plant when in
bloom.]