desert succulent
Banana Yucca
Yucca baccata
Also known as Blue Yucca, Fleshy-fruited Yucca, Datil
Native to Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah
Edwards Plateau and Trans-Pecos, Texas to southern Utah, southern California and adjacent Mexico
- Light Full sun Sun tolerance
- Moisture Dry Moisture preference
- Zones n/a Cold to heat range
- Bloom Mar–Jun Flowering time
- Height
- Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial
In the garden
A desert succulent for full sun and lean, dry soil. Its white flowers peak in May.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun Partial shade Full shade
Moisture
Dry Moist Wet
When it blooms
The Banana Yucca's white flowers bloom March to June, peaking in May. This late-spring display draws birds and beetles.
Banana Yucca blooms whiteFoliage
Pollinators & wildlife
- Birds Red-tailed Hawk
also Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Raven, Brown-headed Cowbird +7 more
American Kestrel, Black-throated Sparrow, Scott's Oriole, Western Meadowlark, Setophaga auduboni auduboni, Tricolored Blackbird, Ladder-backed Woodpecker - Beetles Margined Leatherwing Beetle also Ashy Gray Lady Beetle, Redbud Seed Weevil
- Bees Sculptured Resin Bee also Lasioglossum podolicum
- Also visited by
- Butterflies: Painted Lady, Megathymus yuccae yuccae
Butterflies that use this plant
Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.
- Dainty sulphurnectar
- Painted ladynectar
Full plant details
Where it grows
- Habitat
- DesertThe wild plant community it grows in.
- Native range
- Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and UtahUnited States (7): AZ, CA, CO, NM, NV, TX, UT. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
- Native distribution
- Edwards Plateau and Trans-Pecos, Texas to southern Utah, southern California and adjacent MexicoThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.
Growing conditions
- Light
- Full sunHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
- Moisture
- DryThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
- Soil
- Dry, rocky or sandy soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.
- Soil texture
- Light to heavy (sandy to clay)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
- Soil pH
- 7.0–8.5The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
- Soil quality
- LowHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
- Water use
- LowHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
- Salinity tolerance
- NoneHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
- Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance
- HighHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.
Growth & form
- Life cycle
- PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
- Growth rate
- ModerateA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
- Shape
- ErectIts overall silhouette.
- Root depth
- 6+ in (15+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.
Flowers, foliage & fruit
- Type
- SucculentWhat kind of plant it is.
- Bloom
- Mar–JunWhen it flowers.
- Flower color
- WhiteThe bloom color, or colors.
- Fruit/Seeds
- ripens May–SepThe seed or fruit it sets after flowering.
- Toxicity
- None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.
Propagation & seed
- Cold stratification
- Not requiredWhether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
- Propagation
- Bare root, container, seedHow to start new plants.
- Seed
- ~0.0 million seeds per poundNotes on the seed and how to sow it.
- Seed spread rate
- ModerateHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
- Seedling vigor
- HighHow strongly young seedlings establish.
- Vegetative spread
- SlowWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.