Yucca filamentosa,
Photo Tim Behan Copyright © 2000-2005

Yucca filamentosa

Yucca filamentosa,
Photo Benny Møller Jensen Copyright © 2000-2005


Yucca filamentosa ssp. filamentosa (Linneaus) Hochstaetter, Kaktusbluete 18 :10 (2001)

Synonyms:
Yucca folis filamentosis Moriton, Plant. Hist. 2:419. Sect. 4. pl. 23. (1680)
Yucca Americana filamentosa Munting, Waare Oeffining der planten, 471. f. (1668)
Yucca Virginia Plukenet, Almag. Bot. 396 (1696)
Yucca folis lanceolatis acuminatis integerrimis margine filamentosis Gronovius Fl. Virgin 152. (1739)
Yucca filamentosa Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 319 (1753)
Yucca recurvifolia Park and Cemetery. 11:184 f.
Yucca filamentosa var. bracteata Engelmann, Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis 3: 52 (1873)
Yucca filamentosa var. maxima Baker in Saunders Refug. Bot. 5: t.325 (1873)
Yucca filamentosa forma maxima (Baker) Voss, Vilmorin Blumengarten (ed. 3) 1: 1057 (1895)

Subspecies, varieties and forma:
Yucca filamentosa ssp. concava (Haworth) Hochstaetter
Yucca filamentosa ssp. smalliana (Fernald) Hochstaetter
Yucca filamentosa forma variegata.

Clones, and Hybrids:
There has been selected many clones of Yucca filamentosa, and there have also been made many hybrids involving Yucca filamentosa as one of the parents. Unfortunately haven't I been able to locate any yet, and if any of the readers has one, or know where to get some of the name clones/hybrids I would very much appreciate any information on such.

In the literature I have read about the following clones of  Yucca filamentosa.

Yucca filamentosa 'Atlanta' Hort
Yucca filamentosa 'Bright Edge' = Yucca [filamentosa ssp. smalliana?] 'Bright Edge'
Yucca filamentosa 'Clockenriese' Hort
Yucca filamentosa 'Concava Variegata'
Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard' (Roslyn Nursery)
Yucca filamentosa 'Eisbar' Hort
Yucca filamentosa 'Elegantissima' Hybrid by Carl Sprenger (Yucca filamentosa media x Yucca gloriosa)
Yucca filamentosa 'Florida' Hort
Yucca filamentosa 'Fontane' Hort
Yucca filamentosa 'Garland Gold' Hort, (Plant Delights Nursery, Inc.) =  Yucca flaccida 'Garland Gold'
Yucca filamentosa 'Ivory Tower' Hort = Yucca flaccida 'Ivory Tower' ?
Yucca filamentosa 'Missouri' Hort
Yucca filamentosa 'Ohio' Hort
Yucca filamentosa 'Rosenclocke' Hort
Yucca filamentosa 'Schellenbaum' Hort
Yucca filamentosa 'Scheefichte' Hort
Yucca filamentosa 'Scheetanne' Hort
Yucca 'filata' Hybrid by Fritz Hochstaetter 1999 (Yucca filamentosa x Yucca elata, fh 1180.88)

Many of the Yucca filamentosa clones are probably clones of Yucca flaccida while it's rare to see the true Yucca filamentosa anywhere. So far I have only seen one for sale in Denmark yet (and it turned out to have fruits like those of Yucca flaccida!? so it's probably a hybrid?), all other plants sold as Yucca filamentosa in Danish nurseries were Yucca flaccida. The hybrid Yucca filamentosa 'Elegantissima' I have seen once in a Danish nursery, but the owner wouldn't sell any of his three plants, they where for propagation, but a year late the owner died and, I haven't been able to find out what happened with them? The plants are probably growing in someone's garden and I hope they survive, while they were beautiful plants with many fibers along the edges, it look like something between a Yucca glauca and Yucca filamentosa (Yucca X elegantissima is a hybrid of Yucca filamentosa media x Yucca gloriosa made by Sprenger)

Type location:
Type: Clayton no. 720 "In littoribus arenosis fluminum crescit", Virginia (BM) flowers only (chosen by Fernald, Rhodora 46: 8, plate 808, fig. 1 (1944))

McDaniel, J.C. (1975) (Cact. & Succ. Journ. Amer. 47 (3): 110-111, 2 figs.) concluded that plants from Roanoke Island, North Carolina were the original Yucca filamentosa and the plants sent to Gronovius by John Clayton were cultivated in Virginia as a source of fiber.

Distribution:
Coastal plain of the southeastern Atlantic region, from Tampa, Florida, to above Charleston, South Carolina and extending back to northwestern Georgia, west-central North Carolina, southwestern Alabama, and the gulf coast of Mississippi.

Yucca filamentosa is in some places endangered by expanding cities etc.

This species and the species Yucca flaccida (which it is often confused with) is often naturalized in areas where it didn't original grow. This naturalization is probably already started before Columbus did find the new world, while native Americans has probably grow Yuccas near their homes so they have had easy access to the leaves for fibers and to the roots for soap.

Short description of the species:
Acaulescent, spreading by short stolons (rhizomes).
Leaves: leaves rather firm, generally erect or spreading, linear-lanceolate, acute, 25 - 75 cm long., a little more than 25 mm wide, often glaucous, with many rather thick curly fibers at the margin of the leaves, the back frequently roughened in lines.
Panicle: smooth (not pubescent!) 80 to 300 (or even 400) cm tall, short branches 5 to 15 cm long.
Flowers: white, usually tinged with cream or green or rarely browned, 5 to 7,5 cm across.
Fruit: The young capsule is apple-green, and has a rounded (convex) back, 50 - 60 mm long, brown when ripe.
Seeds: black, glossy, 4-5 x 7 mm.


Leaf of Yucca filamentosa, from Franklin Co., North Carolina, note all the curly fibers.
Photo by Benny Moeller Jensen ©2000-2005


Yucca filamentosa, from Franklin Co., North Carolina
This is the new rosettes that are grown from the rhizomes after the original rosette died after flowering.
Photo by Benny Moeller Jensen ©2000-2005.


Yucca filamentosa in Tim Behan's garden on Rhode Island, note it has a short stem, which is quite unusual.
Photo by Tim Behan Copyright © 2000-2005.


Yucca filamentosa growing on Rhode Island
Photo by Tim Behan Copyright © 2001-2005.

Hardiness:
Yucca filamentosa are rarely seen in cultivation here in Denmark (plants grown here with that name are mostly Yucca flaccida!), but it is reliable hardy here in Northern Denmark, and is also a good bloomer (depending on the clone that is), it can be grown in normal garden soil, but will bloom more and be more happy if it's grown in a well drained soil, but during the summer it like water.

Notes:

I have earlier stated that all the Yucca filamentosa sold in Europe is Yucca flaccida, but in September 2000, did I finally find plants of Yucca filamentosa, they were for sale at Landlyst plantecenter, Hjoerring, Denmark. But in 2003, I was able to get seed pods in the plant and it turned out to have fruits like those of Yucca flaccida!? so it's probably a hybrid?. All plants looked like they were the same clone, they were very beautiful large plants grown in 4 liter pots (in peat!). When I did plant one of the 3 plants I purchased, I could see that they had only been grown in the pots for one season, and the plant only had few rhizomes which was quite surprising compared to the large rosette above ground. I presume that they plants had been grown in the ground until late spring 2000 and at that time they were dug up, the rhizomes were cut of (for further propagation) and the plants (with a very little root) were potted. The label on the plant did write Yucca filamentosa, but the plant shown on the picture was "of course" Yucca flaccida!!!

Take a look at Benny's "key" to the Yucca filamentosa & Yucca flaccida complex.

My own plants of this species:
(There are thumb nailed pictures on each page with links.)

# 332. Yucca filamentosa, Franklin Co., North Carolina, MG 1984.5.

# 784 Yucca sp. Concordia Kansas, fh 1178.54, sown 1997, seeds collected by Larry Shambaugh, Lawrence, Kansas.

# 834 Yucca filamentosa variegata, from Max Schleipfer's nursery in Neusäss Germany 1997

# 835, Yucca filamentosa, from my friend Åse in Hals, Denmark.

#1364 Yucca sp. (flaccida or filamentosa?) growing in a garden in Ohio.

#1465A Yucca filamentosa Hybrid?, from the nursery Landlyst in the year 2000.

#1465B Yucca filamentosa Hybrid?,  from the nursery Landlyst in the year 2000.

#1465C Yucca filamentosa Hybrid?, from the nursery Landlyst in the year 2000.

#1466 Yucca filamentosa from Kirstin Nørgaard Pedersen, Beder, Denmark. Many curly fibers, cutting planted 2000.

#1510 Yucca filamentosa, North Carolina, Manteo, Sea level, fh 1182.1, sown 2001, this may be where the original type specimen came from?

#1511 Yucca filamentosa, North Carolina, Roanoke Island, sea level. fh 1182.2 sown 2001.


#1578 Yucca filamentosa ? hybrid ?, the plant bought 2001, from A-Z non food supermarket.

Reference:
AHLES 1964 (Fernald) Ahles  Journ. Elisa Mitchell Sci. Soc. 80: 172 (1964) (Yucca filamentosa var. smalliana)
Atlas of Tennessee Vascular Plants, web page
BAKER, J. G.  Saunders Refug. Bot. T. 322. (Yucca filamentosa var. puberula Haw.)
BAKER, J. G., Saunders Refug. Bot. T. 323. (Yucca filamentosa var. flaccida)
BAKER, J. G., Saunders Refug. Bot. 5: t.324 (1872) (Yucca filamentosa sensu Baker) = Yucca flaccida Haw.
BAKER, J. G., Saunders Refug. Bot. 5: t.325 (1872) (Yucca filamentosa var. grandiflora) = Yucca flaccida Haw.
BAKER, J. G., Saunders Refug. Bot. 5: t.325 (1873) (Yucca filamentosa var. maxima)
BAKER, J. G., Saunders Refug. Bot. 5: t.325 (1873) (Yucca filamentosa var. maxima)
BAKER, J. G., Linnean Society Bot. Journ. Vol. 18:227 (1881) (Yucca filamentosa Linneaus)
BAKER, J. G., Linnean Society Bot. Journ. Vol. 18:227 (1881) (Yucca filamentosa var. maxima Baker)
BAKER, J. G., Linnean Society Bot. Journ. Vol. 18:228 (1881) (Yucca filamentosa var. antwerpensis)
BAKER, J. G., Linnean Society Bot. Journ. Vol. 18:228 (1881) (Yucca filamentosa var. bracteata)
BAKER, J. G., Linnean Society Bot. Journ. Vol. 18:228 (1881) (Yucca filamentosa var. concava)
BAKER, J. G., Linnean Society Bot. Journ. Vol. 18:228 (1881) (Yucca filamentosa var. glaucescens Haw.) = Yucca flaccida
BAKER, J. G., Linnean Society Bot. Journ. Vol. 18:228 (1881) (Yucca filamentosa var. flaccida Haw.) = Yucca flaccida
BAKER, J. G., Linnean Society Bot. Journ. Vol. 18:228 (1881) (Yucca filamentosa var. laevigata Engelm.)
BAKER, J. G., Linnean Society Bot. Journ. Vol. 18:228 (1881) (Yucca filamentosa var. orchioides Carr) = Yucca flaccida
BAKER, J. G., Linnean Society Bot. Journ. Vol. 18:228 (1881) (Yucca filamentosa var. flaccida Haw.) = Yucca flaccida
BAKER, J. G., Linnean Society Bot. Journ. Vol. 18:228 (1881) (Yucca filamentosa var. puberula Haw.) = Yucca flaccida
CARRIERE, Revue Horticole 8:555, fig. 119,120. (Yucca filamentosa var. flaccida Haw.) = Yucca flaccida
CARRIERE, Revue Horticole :369 fig 89 -90 (1861) (Yucca filamentosa var. orchioides Carriere) = Yucca flaccida
ENGELMANN, Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis 3: 52 (1873) (Yucca filamentosa var. bracteata)
ENGELMANN, Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis 3: 52 (1873) (Yucca filamentosa var. antwerpensis)
ENGELMANN, Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis 3: 52 (1873) (Yucca filamentosa var. bracteata )
ENGELMANN, Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis 3: 52 (1873) (Yucca filamentosa var. laevigata)
FERNALD, M. L. 1944, Rhodora 46: 5-8. plate 808, (1944). (Yucca filamentosa Linn.)
FERNALD, M. L. 1944., Rhodora 46(541): 8-9 plate 809  (Yucca smalliana)
HOCHSTAETTER, F., Kaktusbluete 18 :10 (2001) (Yucca filamentosa ssp. filamentosa)
HOCHSTAETTER, F., Kaktusbluete 18 :11 (2001) (Yucca filamentosa ssp. concava)
HOCHSTAETTER, F., Kaktusbluete 18 :11 (2001) 18 :10 (2001) (Yucca filamentosa ssp. smalliana)
HAWORTH, Synopsis Plantarum  Succulentarum Suppl. 34 (1819)  (Yucca concava)
HAWORTH, Synopsis Plantarum  Succulentarum Suppl. 34: (1819) (Yucca filamentosa var. concava Haw.)
HAWORTH, Synopsis Plantarum  Succulentarum Suppl. 34: (1819) (Yucca filamentosa var. flaccida Haw. )
HAWORTH, Synopsis Plantarum  Succulentarum Suppl. 35: (1819) (Yucca filamentosa var. glaucescens Haw.)   = Yucca flaccida
HAWORTH, Synopsis Plantarum  Succulentarum Suppl. 37: 75 (1819) (Yucca filamentosa Haworth )
HAWORTH, Phil. Mag (ser. 2) 3:186 (1828) (Yucca filamentosa var. puberula Haw.)  = Yucca flaccida
LINDLEY, Edward's Botanical Register 22: t.1895 (1836) (Yucca filamentosa var. flaccida Haw)   = Yucca flaccida
LINNEAUS, Sp. Pl. 319 (1753) (Yucca filamentosa)
LINNEAUS, Sp. 457 (Trew, Ehret, t.37) (Yucca filamentosa Linneaus)
McDaniel, J.C. (1975) (Cact. & Succ. Journ. Amer. 47 (3): 110-111, 2 figs.)
SWEET, Brit. Flow. Gard. T. 21 (Yucca filamentosa var. puberula Haw.)  = Yucca flaccida
SYDOW,  Kaktus 12(2):32(1977) (Yucca filamentosa 'Vittorio Emanuele')
TRELEASE,  Rept. Mo. Bot. Gard. 13: 50-51 (1902) (Yucca filamentosa var. glaucescens Trelease)   = Yucca flaccida
TRELEASE, Rept. Mo. Bot. Gard. 13: 52 (1902) (Yucca flaccida var. grandiflora = Yucca flaccida
VOSS, Vilmorin Blumengarten (ed. 3) 1: 1057 (1895)  (Yucca filamentosa fa. concava)
VOSS, Vilmorin Blumengarten (ed. 3) 1: 1057 (1895)  (Yucca filamentosa fa. flaccida)   = Yucca flaccida
VOSS, Vilmorin Blumengarten (ed. 3) 1: 1057 (1895) (Yucca filamentosa fa. glaucescens   = Yucca flaccida
VOSS, Vilmorin Blumengarten (ed. 3) 1: 1057 (1895) (Yucca filamentosa fa. puberula)   = Yucca flaccida
VOSS, Vilmorin Blumengarten (ed. 3) 1: 1057 (1895) (Yucca filamentosa fa. orchioides   = Yucca flaccida

Special thanks to Fritz Hochstätter, Steve Jankalski and Dave J. Ferguson for all their help with the Yucca filamentosa mess.



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