Yucca whipplei ssp. percursa

Yucca whipplei ssp. percursa HAINES Madroño 6:43 "1940" (1941)

Synonyms:
Yucca whipplei var. percursa (Haines) Webber

Type location:
Cachuma Mountain in San Rafael Mountains of Santa Barbara Co., California.

Distribution:
Coastal sage and chaparral formations, occurring mostly at an altitude of as low as sea level up to 600 m. in San Rafael, Santa Ynez and Santa Lucia Mountains of Santa Barbara and Monterey Counties. Here is grows with plants such as Artemisia californica and Quercus john-tuckeri (syn. Quercus turbinella var. californica).

Short description of the species:
Plants acaulescent, making offsets by rhizomes 60 to 200 cm long, it's the only subspecies were the single rosettes are not dying after flowering! Leaves, bluish, 20 - 40 cm long, up to 1 to 2 cm wide, margin of the leaves corneous and finely serrulate (with very small teeth), has a very sharp spine at the tip of the leaves, the backside of the leaves scabrous (rough). Inflorescence one or many flowering rosettes from each group, paniculate, from 150 cm to almost 500 cm tall. Scape held high above the leaves, from 60 cm to almost 300 cm long. Flowers campanulate (bell shaped) wide open, 2 to 6,5 cm long, white or with a purple tinge. Fruit 3 to 5 cm long, 1,5 to 3 cm thick, rarely constricted. Seeds black, shiny, 0,6 to 0,7 x 0,8 cm, with marginal wing


Seeds of Yucca whipplei ssp. percursa California, San Ynez Mountains, 600 m., fh 1179.63.
©1999-2005 Benny Moeller Jensen

Hardiness:
I have not had any experience with this species yet. But when you look at how low an altitude it is to be found, it may not be able to handle much frost!

Pictures:
I do not have any pictures of Yucca whipplei ssp. percursa if you have a picture I may use please let me know.

Notes:
1.         According to many authors this subspecies is "just" a natural variation of Yucca whipplei.

2.        Some authors place Yucca whipplei and it's subspecies in the Genus Hesperoyucca. One of the reasons to this is that the seedlings form a distinct bulb which no other Yucca does. another reason cold also be that Yucca whippleiand it's subspecies are pollinated by another species of Yucca moth which only do feed on Yucca whipplei!

Reference:

CLARY, Karen H., (http://www.agavaceae.com/botanik/pflanzen/botanzeige_scan_en.asp?gnr=220&scan=22190&cat=5&name=Hesperoyucca%C2%A0newberryi)
HAINES (1940) Madroño 41(6):43 "1940" (1941) (Yucca whipplei ssp. percursa)
HOCHSTÄTTER, F; (2000), YUCCA (vol. I): 21 (Yucca whipplei ssp. percursa)
K. Nixon & C. H. Muller (Tucker's Oak) in the The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California (J. C. Hickman [ed.] 1993). (Quercus john-tuckeri)
WEBBER (1953) Agric. Monograph U.S.D.A. 17:35 (1953) (Yucca whipplei var. percursa)
THIEDE, J., Illustrated handbook of succulent plants vol. 1. (Monocotyledons (Eggli ed.)): 85-87, 2002. (Hesperoyucca whipplei).
 



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