Common Name: Soap Tree

General Information

Yucca elata is an evergreen shrub forming a rosette of spear-shaped leaves 25 - 95cm long and 2 - 13mm wide; it can grow up to 4.5 metres tall when flowering. One to seven stems are usually produced; these can sometimes be subterranean, though are more commonly up to 250cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials. It has at times been cultivated as a fibre plant and has also been planted to prevent soil erosion[]. The roots of Yucca species are rich in saponins and have a wide range of applications. The plant is grown as an ornamental in gardens.
Yucca elata is a widely distributed plant and, although there are threats in parts of its range, these are not sufficient for placement in a threatened category. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2020)[].

Known Hazards

The roots contain saponins[].
Although poisonous, saponins also have a range of medicinal applications and many saponin-rich plants are used in herbalism (particularly as emetics, expectorants and febrifuges) or as sources of raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry. Saponins are also found in a number of common foods, such as many beans.
Saponins have a quite bitter flavour and are in general poorly absorbed by the human body, so most pass through without harm. They can be removed by carefully leaching in running water. Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them. However, it is not advisable to eat large quantities of raw foods that contain saponins.
Saponins are much more toxic to many cold-blooded creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish and make them easy to catch[].

Botanical References

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Range

Southern N. America - Arizona, New Mexico, Texas. Northern Mexico.

Habitat

Mesas, desert washes, plains and desert grasslands, and in deserts, preferring deep, compact, sandy soils; normally at elevations from 500 - 2,000 metres[, ].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	2.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Moths
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Yucca elata is a plant of semi-arid regions in southern N. America and, although capable of tolerating occasional short-lived temperatures down to around -5°c, does not grow very well in moist climates, being especially intolerant of winter wet[]. Another report says that, in dry climates, plants can tolerate occasional short-lived temperatures down to about -30°c[].
Thrives in any soil but prefers a sandy loam and full exposure to the south[, ]. Plants are hardier when grown on poor sandy soils[]. Established plants develop a very deep, branching root system and are very drought resistant[, ].
A slow-growing and fairly long-lived plant, some specimens may be 300 years old[].
Individual crowns are monocarpic, dying after flowering[]. However, the crown will usually produce a number of sideshoots before it dies and these will grow on to flower in later years[].
Fire suppression, in combination with grassland fuel reduction due to grazing, may have the effect of increasing historic populations as a result of reduced mortality from natural fires[].
Plants have a deep caudex and usually re-sprout after fire or damage to stems[].
Plants that grow in areas that are protected from the wind and have reduced fire frequency often can grow to maximum heights of 4.5 metres. In dry sites at higher elevations or at higher latitudes plants are often dwarf in stature[]
Yuccas are pollinated by small, white Yucca moths (Tegeticula yucasella and related species) with which they have a special plant-insect mutualism. At night, the fragrant flowers attract the female moth that feeds on the nectar. She then rolls pollen from the flowers into a ball that is three times the size of her head and carries the pollen ball to the next flower. There, she first lays eggs inside the immature ovary and then deposits the pollen on the flower’s stigma ensuring that seeds will form to feed her progeny. Because the larvae mature before they are able to consume all of
the seeds (60 to 80% of the seeds remain viable), the plants are able to reproduce as well[]. In regions where the moth cannot live and, if fruit and seed are required, then hand pollination is necessary[]. This can be quite easily and successfully done using something like a small paint brush.
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[].
Members of this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[]

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[, , ]. The fruit is a dry capsule up to 5cm long and 36mm wide[].

Seedpods[]. We are not sure how this differs from the fruit but one report mentions edible fruit as well as an edible seedpod.

Flowers - raw or cooked[, , ]. Delicious raw, they can also be dried, crushed and used as a flavouring[]. The flowers are boiled and eaten as a vegetable[]. Used in preserves[].

Flowering stem - cooked and used like asparagus[]. The stems were slow baked for several hours, then dried and broken into pieces to store. They would be soaked in water to soften them before being eaten[].

Interior parts of the trunk have been dried and ground into a powder for use as a flour[].

Medicinal

The roots are antiinflammatory, antitumor, antiviral[].
The roots of Yucca species are rich in saponins and medicinally active compounds. The roots, harvested when the plant is not in flower, are used to make a health-promoting drink. It has been shown to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood, to lower blood pressure and to reduce symptoms of osteoarthritis such as pain, swelling and stiffness. Yucca schidigera seems to be the species most often quoted, though all species contain the saponins[, ].
Taken orally, the root is used in the treatment of osteoarthritis, hypertension, migraine headaches, colitis, stomach disorders, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, poor circulation, and liver and gallbladder disorders[].
Applied topically, it is used to treat sores, skin diseases, inflammation, bleeding, sprains, broken limbs, joint pain, baldness, and dandruff[].

Many compounds from yucca have been used in the synthesis of new drugs[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant has been grown to prevent soil erosion[].

Other Uses

The leaves, or a fibre obtained from them, is used for making ropes and mats[, , , ]. It has been used as a substitute for jute (Corchorus species)[].

The leaves can be woven into shallow or tray baskets[]. The leaf has also been used as a binding element in coarse coiled basketry[].

The roots have a red core and have been used to ornament baskets[].

The roots are rich in saponins and can be used as a soap substitute for washing the hair, body, clothes etc[, , ]. Also used as a foaming agent in beer[]. A slick soap-like fluid in the trunk has been used as a substitute for soap[].
The juice of the plant has a wide variety of uses. In agriculture it is used as a base in liquid fertilizers where its ability to reduce surface tension of irrigation water greatly assists penetration in heavy soils; it assists in soil flocculation to a marked degree; it serves as a carrying agent for the plant-food chemicals[]. The yucca extract itself is rich in the vital minor elements including boron, iron, magnesium, manganese, copper and zinc[].
The juice is said to be widely used as a carbon dioxide stabilizer in the control of oil fires, and saponin from yucca is considered a good base for soaps, shampoos, cleansing powders, and tooth pastes and powders[].

Wood - light, soft and spongy[].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Pre-soaking the seed for 24 hours in warm water may reduce the germination time. It usually germinates within 1 - 12 months if kept at a temperature of 20°c. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse or cold frame for at least their first two winters. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer and consider giving them some winter protection for at least their first winter outdoors - a simple pane of glass is usually sufficient[]. Seed is not produced in Britain unless the flowers are hand pollinated.
Root cuttings in late winter or early spring. Lift in mid spring and remove small buds from base of stem and rhizomes. Dip in dry wood ashes to stop any bleeding and plant in a sandy soil in pots in a greenhouse until established[].
Division of suckers in late spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the following spring.