Yucca L.

Plants perennial, acaulescent or caulescent, sometimes subscapose, sometimes arborescent, usually branching extensively, from woody, subterranean or aboveground caudices, or single stems. Leaves sessile, in rosettes on caudices or at branch ends; blade linear-lanceolate, expanded basally, usually rigid, occasionally fleshy, margins entire or denticulate, often filiferous and separating into elongated fibers, corneous, apex mostly sharp-pointed. Scape, when present, usually less than 2.5 cm diam. Inflorescences erect or rarely pendent, paniculate or racemose, sometimes paniculate proximally and racemose distally, bracteate, occasionally pubescent; bracts ascending, erect, or rarely reflexed; peduncle sometimes scapelike, sometimes extending beyond leaves, sometimes pubescent. Flowers bisexual; perianth campanulate or globose; tepals 6, similar, fleshy, distinct to or connate at base, whitish to cream or tinged slightly with green or purple, occasionally pubescent; stamens 6; filaments flattened, as wide as anthers, smooth, papillose, or granular, fleshy; pistil obovoid or oblong-cylindrical; ovary superior, usually green, 3-locular or 6-locular with false septa, 6-lobed; style white to dark green, often thick; stigmas usually 3, sometimes 1 and subcapitate, white to pale green, 1–2 mm. Fruits erect or pendent, capsular or baccate. Seeds many per locule, usually black, occasionally gray, flattened, round, rarely obovate or ovate. x = 25, 30.