Spanish Dagger (Yucca aloifolia)

Spanish Dagger (Yucca aloifolia), a very ornamental plant, is evergreen shrub grows to about 2-3 m. Usually it is a single unbranched fleshy stem with a terminal crown of numerous stiff, fleshy leaves tipped with a hard spine, resemble daggers. These leaves are around 70 cm long, 5-8 cm wide, grey-green. The tall-conical flowering spike appears in late summer, carrying numerous pendulous, creamy-white, cup-shaped flowers, sometimes tinged outside with crimson.

The Manipuri name Yerum lei means egg-flower, and is inspired from the half open flowers which look like white eggs. Fruits are seed-cases, around 5 cm long, with tiny glossy seeds, 0.5 cm long. Plants do not flower every year, requiring hot summers to initiate flowering. The flowers are produced in the autumn and are often damaged by early frosts. The scent of the flowers is most pronounced at night.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Liliopsida
Order : Asparagales
Family : Agavaceae
Genus : Yucca
Species : Yucca aloifolia

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Agavaceae (ah-gav-AY-see-ay) - The Agave family (from the Greek word for noble).
• Yucca (YUK-uh) - From the Caribbean name for a totally different plant.
• aloifolia (al-oh-ih-FOH-lee-uh) - Having aloe-like leaves.

Common Names:

• Spanish Dagger, Spanish Bayonet, Aloe Yucca, Adam’s Needle, Palm Lily, Roman Candle (English)
• Yerum lei (Manipuri)

Links:

• Flowers of India - Spanish Dagger
• Floridata - Spanish Dagger
• University of Florida : IFAS Extension - Spanish Dagger
• Plants for a future - Spanish Dagger

Image Courtesy of Shaista Ahmad.