Yucca aloifolia L.

Plant to 3 m high, branched freely. Leaves 70-100 cm long, 40-50 mm wide, suberect, bluish-grey; margin finely denticulate, red; terminal spine attenuate-subulate, 10-15 mm long, yellow-brown. Inflorescence a panicle 4-6 m long with upper 2-3 m racemose; racemes 11-35 cm long. Flowers campanulate, 45-50 mm long; pedicels 25-40 mm long. Sepals and petals free, oblong-lanceolate, 50 mm long. Filaments 25-30 mm long; anthers 2-3 mm long. Stigma 15 mm long. Capsule oblong, 6-8 cm long, pulpy, indehiscent, purple turning black. Seeds black.

A tropical plant. It suits moist and dry climates in open soils. It can grow in sandy soils and along shorelines. It is salt tolerant. It does best in a gritty, well drained soil. It needs full sun. In Argentina it grows below 500 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 8-11. Geelong Botanical Gardens.

The flowers are fried and eaten. They are also eaten in salads and sweetened and dried. The fleshy fruit is edible. The tender flower stalks are boiled and eaten.

It can be grown from seeds, offsets or root cuttings.