General Description | Yucca nana is a small, woody plant with long, fibrous leaves and edible roots. |
ID Characteristic | Grows on slopes; leaves are up to 15 cm long; creamy, bell-shaped flowers. |
Landscape | Great in ornamental, grass or rock gardens, in pots and on slopes. |
Propagation | By seed, scarified, planted 0.5 - 1 cm deep. Require fast draining soil mix as seeds are prone to rot diseases. It may take several months before they become established enough to transplant. When transplanting ensure that the plant is hardened off. Propagation can also be done by dividing rhizomes and planting them in the same way as seeds. |
Cultivation | Prefers well-drained, rich, sandy soils. Drought-tolerant, heat-tolerant and deer resistant. |
Pests | Susceptible to cane borers, scale insects and fungal leaf spot. |
Notable Specimens | Royal Botanical Gardens, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. |
Habitat | Sandy slopes in open pine woods. |
Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Light green to cream-coloured, teardrop-shaped, asparagus-like in formation. |
Leaf Description | Long, narrow, light green, stiff and upright, rough, bearing many fibres, clustered in rosettes up to 30 cm tall. Becoming smooth and dark green at the tip. |
Flower Description | Succulent, cream coloured, 3 - 4 cm long, in central, upright cluster to 1 m tall. |
Fruit Description | Dehiscent, globose to ovoid, 2 - 3 ? 3 - 4 cm, green when young, wider and woody when ripe, bearing black, flat, rugged seeds. Seeds remain viable for years until scarification occurs. |