Yucca elata

Common Names

Soaptree Yucca, Soaptree, Soap Tree Yucca, Soapweed Yucca, Palmilla, Palmella, Utah Yucca, Spanish-Bayonet, Datil, Yuca, Soap Tree, Soapweed

Summary

Soaptree Yucca is an evergreen, tree-like desert plant with a trunk and a dense rosette of slender blue-green leaves. Leaves are narrow, up to 1 m long, with sharp tips and white margins, aging foliage forming a skirt around the trunk. Tall flowering stalks rise 4–6 ft above the foliage to bear white, bell-shaped, fragrant flowers. Native to the Chihuahuan and Sonoran Deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Pollination is by the yucca moth Tegeticula yuccasella.

Cultivation and landscape uses: needs full sun and well-drained soil with very low water. Drought-tolerant and slow-growing. Transplanting is difficult due to a deep taproot. Propagates by seed or offsets. Suitable for xeriscaping as an accent or specimen plant in desert landscapes. Historically used for soap from roots and trunk and for leaf fibers woven into belts, baskets, cords, and mats. Features sharp leaf tips.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

6-20 ft

Spread

6-12 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 6-11

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun.

Soil Type

Well-drained, dry, sandy or gritty soil, pH 6.0–7.5

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soil

Soil pH

6.0-7.5, slightly acidic to neutral

Bloom Color

Creamy white, often tinged pinkish or greenish

Bloom Time

Spring to Summer

Foliage Color

Blue-green to gray-green

Fall Foliage Color

Green

Leaf Lifecycle

Evergreen needle.

Growth Rate

Very slow; about 1 inch (2.5 cm) per year

Seasons of Interest

Spring and Summer

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Cuttings (stem, root, rhizome offsets), Division (offsets/pups, basal offsets)

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts hummingbirds, birds, pollinators: Yucca moths (Tegeticula yuccasella)