Common Name:

General Information

Yucca baileyi is an evergreen, stemless, succulent, rosette-forming perennial plant growing up to 20cm tall. Mature leaves are around 25 0 45cm long and 6 - 9mm wide. The plant forms a clump of rosettes that can be 130 - 200cm in diameter[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of fibre and soap. The plant is grown as an ornamental[].
Yucca baileyi has numerous large subpopulations, a relatively large range, and, although it is declining in some regions due to off road vehicles and other recreational desert activities, the overall population is stable. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2020)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southwest N. America - Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico

Habitat

Usually found in sandy soil, on sandstone ridges or infrequently in cinder flats, growing in mixed warm desert shrub, grasslands and pinyon-juniper and ponderosa pine woodlands ; at elevations from 1,300 - 2,500 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	0.20 m
Pollinators	Moths
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Over time, individual rosettes that arise from a deeply buried caudex can form dense clumps of individual stems, holding the underlying sand in place or retrieving sand forming sandy mounds[].
This species has a long blooming period. In some years plants can produce a large number of large fruits in certain places within its range, such as along roadsides and, in certain years, sometimes almost one fruit is produced for each flower. In other years, even following a particularly spectacular bloom many of the plants are fruitless. It is believed that localised rainfall, localised moth population presence or non-synchronised moth presence may explain this phenomenon[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The fibres from the leaves are traditionally used to make an assortment of useful and also ceremonial items[].

The roots are rich in saponins and can be used as a soap[].

Propagation

Seed -