The content of the article:
Numerous species of yucca in nature inhabit a vast territory from Guatemala and Mexico to the province of Alberta in Canada. Plants with hard, thickened leaves can rightfully be considered one of the most hardy and adaptable representatives of the green world. They are not afraid of extreme temperatures, lack of water and nutrition in the soil. In this case, yuccas or false palm trees have long attracted the attention of fans of ornamental plants.
A significant part of 49 species and 24 subspecies is decorated with urban parks and parks, areas near houses. Some, however, the shortest yuccas - spectacular houseplants.
Varieties of yucca and their features and remarkable qualities
The attention of flower growers and gardeners to culture attracted such valuable qualities of the plant as:
- striking undemanding, both for the conditions for planting and subsequent care;
- persistence of appearance throughout the year;
- Effective form, different in different species;
- luxuriant flowering;
- presence of variegated varieties with leaves in yellow, white and purple tones.
The usefulness of the plant long before the gardeners and landscape designers noticed the American Indians. The roots of Yucca elata or a soap tree are rich in saponins, and their broth served as a kind of shampoo. The dried yucca leaves obtained from stems were used to obtain fire and roof coverings.
In the rural areas of Appalachia, the yucca filamentosa depicted in the photo served as a "meat rack". Carcasses or pieces of wild game were punctured on sharp rigid sheet plates, which were tied and hung for salting, smoking or drying.
Until now, in Mexico and other regions where yucca grows, petals are used in cooking. Preliminarily removing the pestle and the bitter base of the corolla, blanch flowers for about 5 minutes, and then stew with tomato, chili and onions.
The territory of growth and adaptability of yucca
Adaptability combined with the ability to accumulate moisture and protect yourself from the fatal influence of the environment allows yuccas to grow where other plants in most cases do not survive.
Representatives of the genus can be found on the Caribbean islands and in Guatemala, where the local species Yucca guatemalensis settled. In the zone of dry subtropics, the areas of the Gulf of Mexico and the coastal areas of the South Atlantic fall into the area, where on infertile Wastes are easy to see Yucca filamentosa with prickly linear leaves and characteristic threads on the rosette that gave the appearance of it name.
Most of the plant's habitats are southern, tropical, subtropical areas. But several species can be grown outdoors in a temperate climate. These are yucca filamentosa, flaccid, gloriosa and recurvifolia. The northernmost is the photo of a yucca with a sisaya name. Not only is it not afraid of drought, it also survives in a Canadian, far from tropical climate.
Adapt in a variety of climatic conditions, all representatives of the genus could:
- thick roots, accumulating moisture;
- a strong wax coating on the leaves, preventing the evaporation of water and wilting;
- not falling off dead leaves, covering the trunk like a skirt and protecting it from the sun;
- high density of wood, hastily resisting even the fire and allowing yuccas to recover quickly in such extreme situations as fires.
In a temperate climate, these features help the yuccas to endure cold snaps, short-term frosts and even snow, like the Schott's yucca or large-fruited.
Appearance and structure of different kinds of yucca
In pots, as a houseplant grow the smallest, short-growing varieties of yucca. Such specimens have a truncated or almost imperceptible trunk, and the leaves rarely grow longer than 40-60 cm. In nature, representatives of this genus can be real giants. In this case, all small and large plants have common features - this:
- a strong thickened trunk, simple or branching;
- crowning stems apical rosettes of pointed hard leaves;
- appearing at the time of flowering spectacular flower spike, covered with dozens and hundreds of flowers-bells of white, cream, yellowish or pinkish colorations.
For desiccated leaves falling to the stem, a luxuriant rosette of foliage on top, resistance to heat and drought of yucca is called false palm trees. A striking flowering gave the plant one more name - a lily of the desert. Some species have their own national nicknames, dictated by features of appearance or plant properties. For example, the Joshua tree, the needle of Adam, the Spanish dagger.
Despite the unpretentiousness and amazing adaptability in Russia, not all varieties of yucca can be grown. Most often in the collection of fans of exotic plants falls yucca filamentous.
She is well tolerated by the hardships of the temperate climate, besides the selection work has allowed to obtain varieties with blue leaves, as well as spectacular variegated forms. There are other Russian yuccas on Russian flower beds, for example, sizaya and glorious.
On the windowsill inside the house, copies of the elephant and the depicted aloe-yucca are more often settled. They are chosen because of their decorative and slow growth, which prevents plants from turning into real trees in a year or two. Descriptions of species and images of plants will help to understand their diversity, acquaint them with the characteristics and appearance of the amazing "American women".
Yukka aloeletic (Y. aloifolia)
The homeland of one of the most famous species, yucca aloe vera - dry regions in the US and Mexico. Today, this plant is found in Bermuda, as well as in Jamaica. In this case, yucca can be found not only in its characteristic corners, open to the sun and not distinguished by the richness of the soil, but also in the park areas.
Young plants have the form of a bush. The stem is practically not developed. An adult specimen, reaching a height of 6-8 m, takes the form of a slightly branching tree with dense rosettes of hard leaves, reminiscent of the green of another drought-resistant perennial - aloe. The edges of the elongated lanceolate leaf plates are covered with teeth. The tip is crowned by a larger spike visible at first sight, which makes the yucca prickly and requires careful handling.
Withering with time, the foliage does not fall off, but falls and remains to cover the stem. In nature, it helps the plant to retain moisture and protect itself from high temperatures in the desert.
Representatives of the species Yucca aloifolia blossom effectively. In summer, above the leafy rosette, shows a tall flower stalk, ending in an inflorescence up to half a meter in length. White on the inside and creamy-purple flowers from the outside have a length of up to 3 cm and resemble a bell or lily in shape. After pollination by insects, fruit-berries with a lot of brown or almost black seeds begin to grow on the spot of the flowers.
Florists especially appreciate the aloeletic yucca due to the variegated forms, which allows diversifying the home collection or garden bed.
A variation of yucca Y. aloifolia purpurea is distinguished by purple or violet-gray leaves. The most noticeable coloring is on the young leaf plates. At the bottom of the outlet, the leaves are painted in a dark green color.
On the leaves of Y. aloifolia variegata rich green tones coexist with yellowish or almost white. Contrasting color border passes along the very edge of the sheet plate.
Yucca the Glorious (Y. gloriosa)
On the southeastern coast of the USA, in the zone of subtropical dunes, there is a yucca, which in the people deserved several names at once. Due to the magnificent flowering yucca glorious called a Roman candle. For long narrow, pointed leaves the plant has long been compared with a Spanish dagger or bayonet.
Connoisseurs of ornamental plants appreciate the look for a low growth rate, unpretentiousness and compactness. The specimens used for gardening most often have the shape of a globular bush or tree with one or several stems. Plants are not afraid of lack of water and frosts to -20 ° C.
The maximum height of Yucca gloriosa is five meters. The tops of the stems are decorated with rosettes of dark green, narrow leaves with a length of 30 to 50 cm. Sharp leaves can be dangerous and can be injured by careless handling. The juice of this kind irritates the sensitive skin and mucous membranes.
Breeding variegated yucca form glorious deserved the prestigious Garden Merit Award, established by the British Royal Horticultural Society.
Yucca Sisaya (Y. glauca)
Bear grass, Spanish bayonet or yucca of the Great Plain. So depicted in the photo, yucca is called the "blue" inhabitants of several regions, from the Canadian prairies in the province of Alberta to Texas and New Mexico.
An evergreen plant with stiff, gray or bluish-green leaves has a height of 50 cm to 2 m. On the edges of the foliage, flaking fibers are visible, like tangling leaves up to 60 cm long. Yucca blossoms annually, forming a meter-long flower spike, strewn with drooping, greenish or white flowers about 5 cm long.
The shredded yucca root is used by local Indians for washing and washing, strong fibrous leaves are an excellent material for wicker mats, ropes and baskets. And the green seed boxes are edible.
Yukka the elephant (Y. elephantipes)
Not all kinds of yucca are natives of North America. From Mexico to Nicaragua and even Ecuador, one can see the elephant or giant yucca represented on the photo.
The variety discovered in the 19th century has several important differences from the plants described above. It:
- thickened in the lower part of the trunk, resembling an elephant leg;
- belt-shaped, not prickly leaves up to 120 cm long.
Plants, in nature reaching heights of 6-9 meters, grow and become powerful trees. In room conditions, because of the slow growth of the flower growers, it is possible to keep the yucca in a more modest size, although the Yucca elephantipes plants practically do not bloom.
The paniculate inflorescence appears only on adult specimens. Opening in the summer, white flowers after pollination turn into oval fleshy fruits in length from 2 to 3 m.
For lovers of exotic species, several varieties of elephant yucca were created, among which there are variegated plants of the "Silver Star" variety. Their leaves have a yellowish or whitish border along the edge.
Yucca high (Y. elata)
The previous variety is not the only big yucca, worthy of becoming a record holder. Yucca radiant or high grows to -4 meters in height, with the inflorescence much larger than that of the relatives. The height of the peduncle sometimes exceeds one meter. Flowers forming a paniculate inflorescence have a white, pink or cream color.
Yucca short-leaved (Y. brevifolia)
In the states of Nevada, California, Utah and Arizona, a short-leaved yucca grows, which in these arid regions is a kind of living symbol. Thousands of nature lovers come to the Joshua Tree National Park to admire:
- powerful barriquely branched trunks;
- evergreen leaves;
- appearing in spring dense inflorescences-panicles with greenish or white flowers.
The tree yucca grows only a few centimeters per year, with the most outstanding specimens having a height of 15 meters and a barrel diameter of about half a meter.
Jukka Trekulya (Y. treculeana)
The large yucca of Trekul, reaching a 10-meter height, is a native inhabitant of Texas and New Mexico. Like other varieties, the plant slowly adds to the growth. And after growing up, it acquires majestic forms and blossoms effectively. The bell-shaped flowers collected in the paniculate inflorescence may be white, pinkish or purple on the outer side of the coronals.
Due to the pointed bluish-green leaves about a meter in length, the plant received an unofficial name "Spanish dagger" or "Don Quixote spear".
Yucca filamentous (Y. filamentosa)
The native land of this species is Texas, as well as the territory from Virginia to Florida. However, today the plant can be seen far from the North American continent. For example, in Italy, Turkey and France. Due to the unpretentiousness and cold resistance, the yucca depicted in the photo was naturalized. It has perfectly taken root in the south of Europe, in the Middle East and even to the north.
In comparison with its tree-like congeners, the plant is quite small. Evergreen shrub with a shortened, sometimes unnoticed trunk and blue-green belt-like leaves reaches a height of 70-80 cm. Such dimensions, combined with a powerful root, deep into the soil, help the yucca to experience cooling and short-term frosts down to -20 ° C.
Yucca filamentous escalibur
A characteristic feature of this variety, which gave the yucca its specific name, is thin white filaments along the edge of the leaf plates. For a comparatively small plant in the early summer, yucca forms an impressive flower-pot up to three meters in length. It is crowned with an inflorescence-panicle of white or slightly yellowish bells.
Yucca Golden Sword
The species is pollinated by the butterfly Tegeticula yuccasella, which lives only in North America. In other regions, it is possible to obtain viable seeds using artificial pollination.
However, more often the filamentous yucca is propagated with the help of root offspring. When planting in the open ground, you need to consider that it will not be so easy to give a plant. Parts of the deep-lying root are capable of giving young growth over many years.
Color filed yucca Color Guard
The colorful yucca pictured in the photo refers to the Color Guard variety, whose leaves are adorned with broad yellow stripes in summer. In winter, purple, pink, purple tints appear in the color.
Yukka yellow varieties Bright Edge
Plants with variegated or colored leaves are of particular interest to florists and botanists. A bright leaf socket of Bright Edge, which won the British Award of Garden of Merit, makes a photo of yucca yellow. Unusual coloring is most noticeable on young leaves, with growing green stripes become wider.
Yucca filamentosa of Ivory Tower
Another unusual yucca is the Ivory Tower. Named so because of the wide white stripes on the leaves and the magnificent cream-white colors. A photo of a colored yucca gives a visual representation of the richness of the palette and the decorativeness of the plant.
Yucca beak-shaped (Y. rostrata)
One of the most enduring representatives of the genus - yucca rostrate or beak-shaped. A plant with a powerful stem height of up to, meters and narrow, a width of only 1 cm leaves. It is a native inhabitant of Texas and a number of Mexican states. The plant is valued for its ability to tolerate high and low temperatures. Calmly reacts to a lack of moisture and an excess of solar radiation and is often used for gardening.
Adult specimens bloom, forming a meter-long flower spike with a lush inflorescence, consisting of hundreds of white drooping bell flowers.
Yucca South (Y. australis)
Europeans discovered the plant in the middle of the XIX century. The local population used the leaves for the manufacture of roofs and strong fiber since ancient times. From it wove baskets, mats and other utensils.
As a native inhabitant of the Chihuahua desert in Mexico, the yucca nitenosa is perfectly adapted to the severe hot and dry climate. Rigid leaves up to half a meter almost do not evaporate moisture. A powerful trunk is hidden behind a skirt of dry foliage. In the beginning of spring, when there is moisture in the soil, dewing inflorescences of creamy-white flowers appear on the tops of leafy rosettes.
