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Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Yuccas Around Las Vegas, Vegetation Around Las Vegas
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Tall, green Mojave Yucca and short, blue, Banana Yucca

Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata) is an upright shrub with long, sword-like leaves that generally point upward. The leaves are folded to create a channel that catches rain and snow, channeling the water towards the base of the plant. The leaf margins have shredding fibers, and the leaf is tipped with a sharp spine.

Banana Yucca is a signature species of the Mojave Desert and is a major component vegetation communities on dry, well drained gravel and rocky soils at lower elevations in the Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub and Pinyon-Juniper Woodland) life zone.

Family: Agave (Agavaceae).

Other Names: Blue Yucca.

Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)

Plant Form: Low growing, but upright shrub with a trunk that usually lies along the ground.

Height: To 4-5 feet

Trunk: Stout trunk usually remaining low or lying on the ground. Compared to Mojave Yucca, Banana Yucca is said to have no trunk, which is not strictly true.

Leaves: Very long daggers with a sharp tip; dull gray-green color.

Flowers: Large, thick, hang down.

Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)

Seeds: Produced in large, banana-like pods

Elevation: About 2,500 to 4,500 feet (tolerance range extends higher than Mojave Yucca)

Comments: Yucca leaves can be pounded to remove the pulp, leaving behind a stout spine with long fibers attached. Native peoples used these fibers for sewing and for making fiber mats and sandals.

Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata) Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata) Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca developing flower stalk
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca developing flower stalk
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca developing flower stalk
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca developing flower stalk
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca developing flower stalk
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca flower buds
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca flower buds
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca with developing flowers
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca with developing flowers
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca developing flowers
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca developing flowers
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca with flowers
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca with flowers
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca flowers
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca flowers
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca flowers and buds
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca flowers and buds
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Single Banana Yucca flower
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Single Banana Yucca flower
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Single Banana Yucca flower with three outer "petals" removed
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Single Banana Yucca flower with three outer "petals" removed
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Three outer "petals" and one inner "petal" removed
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Inner "petal" with stamen
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Petals removed revealing three of six stamens and three-lobed pistil
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Three-lobed stigma
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Three-lobed stigma
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Cross-section of banana yucca pistil showing ovules
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Cross-section of banana yucca pistil showing ovules
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca with fruits
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca with fruits
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca developing fruit
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca developing fruit
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca ripening fruit
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca ripening fruit
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Broken Banana Yucca fruit with exposed seeds
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Banana Yucca seeds
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
During the mega-drought, many Banana Yucca flowers failed
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Failed Banana Yucca flowers
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
During the mega-drought, many Banana Yucca flowers failed
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
During the mega-drought, many Banana Yucca flowers failed
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Leaf with channel that catches water and funnels it towards roots
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Leaf with channel that catches water and funnels it towards roots
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Leaf with channel that catches water and funnels it towards roots
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Leaf with channel that catches water and funnels it towards roots
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Fibrous leaves used by native people for fibers
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Fibrous leaves used by native people for fibers
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Fibrous leaves used by native people for fibers
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Fibrous leaves used by native people for fibers

Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate. Names generally follow the USDA database.
copyright; Last updated 220815

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