20 Common Yucca, Yucca filamentosa, Ore.
Hardy to Zones 4 to 10. (Adam’s Needle, Spanish Bayonet). State flower of New Mexico.
Yuccas are widely grown as ornamental, drought tolerant plants in rock gardens. An evergreen, fibrous-leaved plant native to the American Southeast. Trunkless, palm-like, drought and cold resistant, with large spires of cream-colored flowers. There are many species of yucca, including Joshua trees.
Many yuccaspecies also bear edible parts, including fruits, seeds, flowers, and flowering stems. Roots of soap tree yucca (Yucca elata) are high in saponins and are used as a shampoo in Native American rituals. Dried yucca leaves and trunk fibers have a low ignition temperature, making the plant desirable for use in starting fires. The leaves can be used to make rope. The flower petals can be eaten. The petals are blanched for just five minutes, then cooked a la mexicana (with tomato, onion, chile) or in tortitas con salsa (egg-battered patties with green or red sauce). The flower's reproductive organs are removed before blanching because they are too bitter.
Plant prefers full sun and dry, fast-draining soils.
20 seeds per packet, Open Pollinated, Untreated, No GMOs.