Yucca elata


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Yucca elata in bloom in a garden in Denmark 2004, owner Inger & Mogens Madsen.
Copyright 2004 Benny M. Jensen

Yucca elata Engelmann, Botanical Gazette 7:  17 (1882)
New Mexico State flower.

Synonyms:
Yucca angustifolia var. radiosa Engelmann in King, Rept. Geol. Expl. 40th. Parallel 5: 496 (1871)
Yucca radiosa (Engelmann) Trelease, Ann. Rept. Mo. Bot. Gard. 13: 56 (1902)
Yucca angustifolia var. radiosa ENGELMANN, in King, Rep. Geol. Explor. 40th Parallel 5:496, 1871.
Yucca angustifolia var. elata ENGELMANN, Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis, a superfluous substitute 3:50, 1873.
Yucca radiosa TRELEASE, Annual Rep. Missouri Bot. Gard. 13:56, 1902. (Central Arizona and northward to the borders of
Utah, Palmer 201, Arizona, near Navajo Springs, Apache Co., Arizona, 24 June 1869.)

Clones, and Hybrids:
Yucca elata 'Bonita' (Ref: New Ornamentals Society web site)
Yucca 'filata' (Yucca filamentosa x Yucca elata,  fh 1180.88 Germany)
Yucca elata X Yucca baccata (David Ferguson have one of these in his yard)
Yucca elata X Yucca torreyi

Yucca aloifolia x elata, made by Demeter Janakidisz, from Botanical Garden in Budapest, Hungary.
Yucca 'Bright Edge' x Yucca elata (Pollen from Ruud Wouterson, The Netherlands). Made by Benny M. Jensen, Denmark, in 2008, BMJ # 2094, #2095.
Yucca elata x filamentosa (pollen and seed parent  in Mogens Madsen garden). Made by  Benny M. Jensen, Denmark in 2004. BMJ # 2016, # 2017, # 2018.
Yucca filamentosa x elata, (Yucca 'Filata') made by Fritz Hochstätter in 1999, fh 1180.88.
Yucca filamentosa x elata (pollen from a plant in Inger & Mogens Madsen's garden), Made by  Benny M. Jensen, Denmark in 2004. BMJ # 2012
Yucca filamentosa x elata (pollen and seed parent  in Mogens Madsen garden). Made by  Benny M. Jensen, Denmark in 2004. BMJ  # 2013, # 2014, # 2015.
Yucca flaccida x elata (pollen from a plant in Inger & Mogens Madsen's garden). Made by  Benny M. Jensen, Denmark in 2004. BMJ # 2002
Yucca flaccida [forma glaucescens] x Yucca elata (Pollen from Ruud Wouterson, The Netherlands). Made by Benny M. Jensen, Denmark, in 2008, BMJ # 2107, # 2108, #2109
Yucca gloriosa forma robusta × elata, made by Ferenc Kurilla and Demeter Janakidisz  from Botanical Garden in Budapest, Hungary.
Yucca 'Karlsruhensis Type 2' x elata (pollen from a plant in Inger & Mogens Madsen's garden). Made by  Benny M. Jensen, Denmark in 2004. BMJ # 2000, # 2001.
Yucca hybrid #500 x elata (pollen from a plant in Inger & Mogens Madsen's garden), Made by  Benny M. Jensen, Denmark in 2004. BMJ # 2004, # 2005.
Yucca sp. [gloriosa forma robusta] "Hæstrupvej" x Yucca elata (Pollen from Ruud Wouterson, The Netherlands). Made by Benny M. Jensen, Denmark, in 2008, BMJ # 2122, # 2123

Unpublished names:
Yucca elata var. magdalenana, Fritz Hochstätter seed list #13 1998
Yucca glauca var. elata, Mesa Garden Seed list
Yucca glauca var. radiosa, Mesa Garden Seed list

Subspecies, varieties and forma:
Yucca elata ssp. utahensis: (McKelvey) Hochstaetter, Cactaceae-Review IRT 1 (2):  21 (1998)
Yucca elata ssp. verdiensis: (McKelvey) Hochstaetter, Cactaceae-Review IRT 1 (2):  21 (1998)

Type location:

Lectotype: Yucca elata ENGELMANN Bot. Gaz. 7: 17.1882. (ROTHROCK 382, Camp Grant, Graham Co., Arizona, July 1874; Lectotype selected by MCKELVEY).

Distribution:
In Southern Arizona. south and central New Mexico, Western Texas and Northern Mexico, in, 850-1.900 m,.

Short description of the species:
Plants acaulescent or more often caulescent to nearly arborescent, solitary or in large clumps of several rosettes or a small "tree" with one to several rosettes. Stems from 30 to 450 cm tall, erect and trunk-like, covered with new or old dead leaves, rarely with short procumbent stems from 60 to 130 cm long, some old clumps can be up to 400 cm in diameter. Leaves linear, plano-convex or plano-keeled,  30 to 70 cm long (or occasionally 15 cm or up to 90 cm long!) 7 to 15 mm wide (or occasionally only 3 mm or up to 20 mm wide!), pale green to yellow-green, spreading, flexible, the base broad, white to cream, 30 to 50 mm long (or occasionally up to 60 mm long!), 30 to 60 mm wide (or occasionally up to 70 mm wide!), the margin entire. white or greenish white, and will soon from fine and sometimes curly fibers. the apex tapering and long acuminate with a short stiff straw-colored spine 30 mm long. Flowering stems erect 50 to 200 cm tall. Inflorescence paniculata, closed to open with the uppermost flowers arranged racemosely, 50 to 300 cm tall, well beyond the leaves, the stalk glabrous, green to reddish or yellowish (the total length of the flower stem is about 50 to 450 cm tall!), the branchlets many to several, 5 to 35 mm long. Flowers;  campanulate or a little globose 40 to 60 mm long white to cream, sometimes tinged with green or pink. Pistil; 18 to 28 mm long  Capsule; oblong-cylindric 30 to 70 mm long (or occasionally up to 80 mm long!) 35 to 60 mm in diameter, dry, not or slightly constricted. Seeds;  thin, dull black 7 to 10 mm long. Flowers April - June in habitat.

Hardiness:
Hardy here in Northern Denmark if it's grown in a raised bed, and is protected against winter moisture from October to May. Or in pots that are stored in unheated greenhouse. Yucca elata does however not like to be grown in small pots, and need to be grown in big pots with a minimum size off 30 liter.

Photos:
 
# 592 Yucca elata San Ysidro New Mexico
Sown 1995, photo from August 2003.
Copyright 2003 Benny M. Jensen
# 592 Yucca elata San Ysidro New Mexico
Sown 1995, photo from April 2008.
Copyright 2008 Elena Y. G. Jensen
# 592 Yucca elata San Ysidro New Mexico
Sown 1995, photo from April 2008.
Copyright 2008 Elena Y. G. Jensen
# 592 Yucca elata San Ysidro New Mexico
Sown 1995, photo from April 2009.
Copyright 2009 Elena Y. G. Jensen
# 592 Yucca elata San Ysidro New Mexico
Sown 1995, photo from April 2009.
Copyright 2009 Elena Y. G. Jensen
# 592 Yucca elata San Ysidro New Mexico
Sown 1995, photo from April 2009.
Copyright 2009 Elena Y. G. Jensen
# 592 Yucca elata San Ysidro New Mexico
Sown 1995, photo from April 2009.
Copyright 2009 Elena Y. G. Jensen
# 592 Yucca elata San Ysidro New Mexico
Sown 1995, photo from April 2009.
Copyright 2009 Elena Y. G. Jensen
# 592 Yucca elata San Ysidro New Mexico
Sown 1995, photo from August 23rd. 2009.
Copyright 2009 Elena Y. G. Jensen
# 592 Yucca elata San Ysidro New Mexico
Sown 1995, photo from August 22nd. 2009.
Copyright 2009 Benny M. Jensen
# 592 Yucca elata San Ysidro New Mexico
Sown 1995, photo from August 29th. 2009.
Copyright 2009 Benny M. Jensen
# 592 Yucca elata San Ysidro New Mexico
Sown 1995, photo from August 29th. 2009.
Copyright 2009 Benny M. Jensen
# 592 Yucca elata San Ysidro New Mexico
Sown 1995, photo from August 29th. 2009.
Copyright 2009 Benny M. Jensen
# 592 Yucca elata San Ysidro New Mexico
Sown 1995, photo from August 29th. 2009.
Copyright 2009 Benny M. Jensen
# 592 Yucca elata San Ysidro New Mexico
Sown 1995, photo from September 2nd. 2009.
Copyright 2009 Benny M. Jensen
# 592 Yucca elata San Ysidro New Mexico
Sown 1995, photo from September 2nd. 2009.
Copyright 2009 Benny M. Jensen
# 592 Yucca elata San Ysidro New Mexico
Sown 1995, photo from September 2nd. 2009.
Copyright 2009 Benny M. Jensen


Yucca elata in habitat.
Photo by J.H. Manhart ©1999


A large Yucca elata growing in Oroville, Washington State which is about 20 miles from the Canadian border, elevation 1500' An elderly lady live there and she said her husband had brought seeds back from somewhere and planted them. She is 95 (in 1999) so you can only imagine how old this Yucca is.
Photo by Rick Dringmann ©1999

Reference:
COVILLE, F. V., contrib. US Nat. Herb. 4: 203, 1893 (Yucca radiosa)
ENGELMANN in King, Rept. Geol. Expl. 40th. Parallel 5: 496, 1871 (Yucca angustifolia var. radiosa)
ENGELMANN, Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis, a superfluous substitute 3: 50, 1873. (Yucca angustifolia var. elata)
ENGELMANN, Bot. Gaz. 7:17, 1882 (Yucca elata)
FERGUSON, D.J., in an email to Hardycacti_etc., Thu, 12 Oct 2000 09:02:04 -0700 (PDT) (Re: Yucca hybrid)
GENTRY, H. S., The Agave Family in Sonora, USDA Agri. Handbook No. 399:155 (Yucca elata)
HOCHSTAETTER, Cactaceae-Review IRT 1 (2):  21, 1998
HOCHSTAETTER, F; (2000), YUCCA (vol. I): 48-49 (Yucca elata)
MCKELVEY, (1947) Yuccas of the South West U.S.  2: 98, t.  35, 1947
REVEAL Reveal, Intermountain Flora 6: 533-534 (1977) (Yucca elata var. utahensis)
TRELEASE, Missouri Bot. Gard. Ann. Rpt. 13:56, 1902 (Yucca radiosa)
TRELEASE, Annual Rep. Missouri Bot. Gard. 13:56, 1902. (Yucca radiosa)



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Benny Møller Jensen
Hjørring
Danmark

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