''Yucca sterilis'' is a species in the family

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 ...

, native to the Uintah Basin region in

Duchesne Duchesne is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Joseph Duchesne (c. 1544–1609), French physician and chemist. Physician-in-ordinary to King Henry IV * André Duchesne (1584–1640), French historian * François Duchesne (1616� ...

and Uintah Counties, Utah. It is closely related to '' Y. harrimaniae'' Trel. ''Yucca sterilis'' is an acaulescent (trunkless) species spreading by underground

rhizomes In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

. The inflorescence is up to 40 cm tall, with flowers white or sometimes tinged with violet along the edges of the

tepals A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

.Neese & Welsh, Great Basin Naturalist 45(4):789-790 (1985)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q16760375 sterilis Plants described in 2008 Flora of Utah Flora without expected TNC conservation status