''Yucca flaccida'', commonly called Adam's needle or weak-leaf yucca, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the asparagus

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

(

Asparagaceae Asparagaceae, known as the asparagus family, is a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots. The family name is based on the edible garden asparagus, ''Asparagus officinalis''. Those who live in the temperate c ...

). It is

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to south-central and southeastern North America, from the lower Great Plains eastward to the Atlantic seaboard in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, south through

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and the Gulf states. Its natural habitat is in sandy open woodlands and fields. It is not considered to be threatened by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

Description

It is a stemless

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

growing to tall by broad. It has a basal rosette of sharply pointed, swordlike leaves up to long. In summer, long panicles of bell-shaped creamy white flowers are held above the foliage. The Latin

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''flaccida'' means "weak", "feeble", referring to the leaves which often fold under their own weight (the inner leaves may remain erect as they are supported by the outer ones).

Taxonomy

Some authorities regard ''Y. flaccida'' as a

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

form Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens. Form also refers to: *Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter data ...

of '' Y. filamentosa'', rather than as a separate species. Populations in the South Central Region of the United States with unusually narrow leaves have been segregated as ''Y. louisianensis'' by some authorities. This entity is found in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Ecology

A number of yucca moths lay their eggs upon ''Y. flaccida'' as a host plant, an example being ''

Tegeticula intermedia ''Tegeticula intermedia'' is a moth of the family Prodoxidae. Along with other moth species, it is commonly known as a yucca moth. ''T. intermedia'' lives in North America, particularly the United States. The moth resides in the southwest, the G ...

''.

Cultivation

It is cultivated and valued as an architectural plant. Numerous

cultivars A cultivar is a type of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and when Plant propagation, propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and st ...

are available, some with variegated leaves, of which 'Golden Sword' and 'Ivory' have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

. File:Yucca flaccida Alabama.jpg, ''Yucca flaccida'' can be identified by its pubescent inflorescence branches File:Yucca louisianensis.jpg, Western populations have unusually narrow leaves, and are sometimes treated as a separate species called ''Y. louisianensis''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2237972 flaccida Flora of Eastern Canada Plants described in 1819 Flora of the Eastern United States