Virginia Tech Dendrology

banana yucca Agavaceae Yucca baccata Torr. symbol: YUBA
Leaf: Evergreen, stiff and sword-like, thick and fleshy, numerous at the ends of branches, 12 to 24 inches long, sharp pointed tip, edges fibrous, blue-green to yellow-green, with up-curled edges.
Flower: Very attractive, creamy white, bell-shaped, 6-petaled, up to 4 inches long, borne on a 3 foot tall upright woody inflorescence, appearing in late spring.
Fruit: Fleshy sweet edible capsules up to 10 inches long, green, indehiscent, bearing many tiny seeds, borne on a woody inflorescence.
Bark: Gray-brown, initially covered with brown dead leaves.
Form: Dense, mounded clumps of leaves that reach 6 feet in height (more commonly to 3 feet).
Looks like: Joshua tree - soaptree yucca - Mojave yucca - Torrey's yucca

Additional Range Information: Yucca baccata is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information