''Yucca gloriosa'' 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

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,

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 the southeastern United States. Growing to , it is an

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. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental for its architectural qualities, and has reportedly become established in warmer climates in the wild in various parts of the world.

Names

Common names include:- *Adam's needle *glorious yucca *lord's candlestick *mound lily *moundlily yucca *palm lily *Roman candle *Sea Islands yucca *soft-tipped yucca *Spanish bayonet *Spanish-dagger *tree lily

Description

''Yucca gloriosa'' is

caulescent This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

, usually with several stems arising from the base, the base thickening in adult specimens. The long narrow leaves are straight and very stiff, growing to long and wide. They are dark green with entire margins, smooth, rarely finely denticulate,

acuminate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

, with a sharp brown terminal spine. The inflorescence is a

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

up to long, of bell-shaped white flowers, sometimes tinged purple or red. The fruit is a leathery, elongate berry up to long.

Habitat

''Yucca gloriosa'' grows on exposed

sand dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...

s along the coast and

barrier island Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of Dune, dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything fro ...

s of the subtropical southeastern USA, often together with ''

Yucca aloifolia ''Yucca aloifolia''Linnaeus, Species Plantarum 1: 319. 1753

'' and a variety formerly called ''Yucca recurvifolia'' or ''Y. gloriosa'' var. ''recurvifolia'', now ''Y. gloriosa'' var. ''tristis''., search for "Yucca recurvifolia" In contrast to ''Y. gloriosa'' var. ''tristis'', the leaves of ''Y. gloriosa'' var. ''gloriosa'' are hard stiff, erect and narrower. On the other hand, ''Y. aloifolia'' has leaves with denticulate margins and a sharp-pointed, terminal spine.

Distribution

''Yucca gloriosa'' is native to the coast and

s of southeastern North America, growing on

s. It ranges from extreme southeastern

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 to northern

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 ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is associated with ''

Yucca filamentosa ''Yucca filamentosa'', Adam’s needle and thread, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae native to the southeastern United States. Growing to tall, it is an evergreen shrub valued in horticulture. Description Usually trun ...

'', ''Yucca aloifolia'', and ''

Opuntia ''Opuntia'', commonly called prickly pear or pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae. Prickly pears are also known as ''tuna'' (fruit), ''sabra'', ''nopal'' (paddle, plural ''nopales'') from the Nahuatl word f ...

'' species.

Cultivation

The plant is widely cultivated in warm

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

and

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

climates, and valued as an architectural focal point. It has reportedly escaped from cultivation and naturalised in Italy, Turkey, Mauritius, Réunion, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. In a domestic environment, the plant has average water requirements, and little maintenance is needed other than the removal of dead leaves when the shrub nears its ultimate height. The plant is very hardy, without leaf damage at , and can handle occasional snow and freezing temperatures. ''Yucca gloriosa'', and the

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s 'Variegata' and = ‘Walbristar’ 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 ...

Properties

''Yucca gloriosa'' has been known to cause skin irritation and even

allergic Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic derma ...

reaction Reaction may refer to a process or to a response to an action, event, or exposure: Physics and chemistry *Chemical reaction *Nuclear reaction *Reaction (physics), as defined by Newton's third law *Chain reaction (disambiguation). Biology and me ...

s upon contact. The leaf points are even sharp enough to break the skin.

Forms and varieties

In collections in Europe and overseas, there are many forms and hybrids (Sprenger, Förster) from the 18th and 19th centuries. The following names have been used for material of uncertain origin in the European garden flora. *''Yucca gloriosa'' var. ''minor'' Carr. *''Yucca gloriosa'' var. ''obliqua'' Baker *''Yucca gloriosa'' f. ''obliqua'' (Harworth)Voss *''Yucca gloriosa'' f. ''acuminata'' (Sweet)Voss *''Yucca gloriosa'' f. ''pruinosa'' (Baker)Voss *''Yucca gloriosa'' f. ''tortulata'' (Baker)Voss *''Yucca gloriosa' var. ''medio-striata'' Planchon *''Yucca gloriosa'' var. ''robusta'' Carr. *''Yucca gloriosa'' var. ''nobilis'' Carr. *''Yucca gloriosa'' f. ''planifolia'' Engelmann, *''Yucca gloriosa'' var. ''plicata'' Engelmann *''Yucca gloriosa'' var. ''genuina'' Engelmann *''Yucca gloriosa'' var. ''flexilis'' Trelease *''Yucca gloriosa'' var. ''plicata'' Carr. *''Yucca gloriosa'' var. ''superba'' Baker *''Yucca gloriosa'' var. ''longifolia'' Carr. *''Yucca gloriosa'' var. ''muculata'' Carr. *''Yucca pendula'' Sieber ex Carr. *''Yucca pattens'' Andre *''Yucca pruinosa'' Baker

References

External links

* http://yuccaagavaceae.com/photos/details.php?image_id=82 Original Erstbeschreibung {{Taxonbar, from=Q164135 gloriosa Endemic flora of the United States Flora of the Southeastern United States Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Least concern flora of the United States Garden plants of North America Shrubs