Common throughout the Southwest, the many species of yuccas (YUH-kuhs)
are of two major groups, the narrow-leaf and the wide-leaf. Called
“soaptree” because of its height (maximum 30 feet) and the fact that its
roots contain saponin, soaptree yucca or _palmilla_ (pahm-EE-yah—“little
palm”) belongs in the narrow-leaf group. From southwestern Arizona
across southern New Mexico, and from west Texas southward into the
Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora, this spectacular plant blossoms
in May and June on desert grasslands from 2,000 to 6,000 foot
elevations. Cattle eat the young flower stalks, and Indians used the
leaf fibers for making fabrics, basketry, and other items. The yucca is
the State flower of New Mexico.
_Yucca elata_ Lily Family
[Illustration: SOAPTREE YUCCA]