What kind of yucca is this?

[gsganzer]

I have 2 massive yucca's at my place. They both are about 15' tall and the trunks are 12" in diameter. They both had single heads, but about 15 years ago, the second one got stressed and it has about 3 intertwined heads now. They both produced a huge flower stalk this year of cream colored flowers, but I don't think they bloom every year. I need to prune the dead fronds and clean them up again.

I've never seen them anywhere else and can't find any info on what variety they might be. They're relatively cold hardy, because they survived the -4 temps we had in 2022. Does anyone know what type they might be?

 

[ponytug]

Do yours have a fragrance when they bloom? I've known some varieties that smell amazing. Many desert plants are pretty cold hardy because of how cold it gets in some deserts.

I've just seen the dead leaves trimmed by gardeners skilled with a machete. I know that I couldn't do a good job of it with a machete, but perhaps I could manage with a pole pruning saw. If you do it yourself, I'd be prepared for live things to drop out of it. I've seen scorpions, snakes, and rodents drop out.

Good luck!

All the best,

Peter

 

[caver]

I found Yucca Rostrata that looks about the same.

 

[gsganzer]

Do yours have a fragrance when they bloom? I've known some varieties that smell amazing. Many desert plants are pretty cold hardy because of how cold it gets in some deserts.

I've just seen the dead leaves trimmed by gardeners skilled with a machete. I know that I couldn't do a good job of it with a machete, but perhaps I could manage with a pole pruning saw. If you do it yourself, I'd be prepared for live things to drop out of it. I've seen scorpions, snakes, and rodents drop out.

Good luck!

All the best,

Peter

I don't think they have any fragrance. When it comes to trimming the dead fronds, my wife and I work as a team. She'll take a bow rake and push the dead fronds up. I take the Milwaukee pole saw and cut them. Yes, all kinds of critters (lizards, hornets, spiders come out).

The big garden spiders love to use the spread of the live fronds and make elaborate webs for catching food.

 

[gsganzer]

I found Yucca Rostrata that looks about the same.

That must me it, it's the closest I've seen anyway and the same height of 12-15 feet. My Yucca's have a wider frond, but maybe that's just this cultivar.

 

[jyoutz]

They are not a native yucca. I’ve seen them planted ornamentally in Albuquerque, but never in a natural environment. I suspect they are native to central or South America.

 

[ponytug]

They are not a native yucca. I’ve seen them planted ornamentally in Albuquerque, but never in a natural environment. I suspect they are native to central or South America.

Technically, I believe yucca are North American plants, i.e. from Panama north, with 50 odd species, and who knows how many cultivars. I know that I have seen enough different specimens not to be able to tell at a glance which is what, but I'm not a botanist.

All the best,

Peter

 

[caver]

Another is yucca elata/soaptree or yucca treculeana. The latter has some wider looking leaves.

 

[jyoutz]

Technically, I believe yucca are North American plants, i.e. from Panama north, with 50 odd species, and who knows how many cultivars. I know that I have seen enough different specimens not to be able to tell at a glance which is what, but I'm not a botanist.

All the best,

Peter

I know the native yuccas in the southwest and west Texas and that one isn’t one of those. That’s all I’m saying.