Yucca schidigera: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 09:08, 5 October 2025

Template:Short description Template:Speciesbox

Yucca schidigera, also known as the Mojave yucca or Spanish dagger, is a perennial plant in the asparagus family Asparagaceae, native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is most common in the Mojave Desert, but also occurs extensively in the Sonoran Desert and west to the Pacific coast of southern California and Baja California.

Description

File:Yucca schidigera 17.jpg

Yucca schidigera is a small evergreen tree growing to Script error: No such module "convert". tall, with a dense crown of spirally arranged bayonet-like leaves on top of a conspicuous basal trunk. The bark is gray-brown, being covered with brown dead leaves near the top, becoming irregularly rough and scaly-to-ridged closer to the ground. The leaves are Script error: No such module "convert". long and Script error: No such module "convert". broad at the base, concavo-convex, thick, very rigid, and yellow-green to blue-green in color.

The flowers are white, sometimes with a purple tinge, Script error: No such module "convert". long (rarely to 7.5 cm), bell-shaped and segmented into six parts;^[1] they are produced in a compact, bulbous cluster Script error: No such module "convert". tall at the top of the stem. The fruit is an elongate berry, up to Script error: No such module "convert". long.^[2]^[3]

Distribution and habitat

Yucca schidigera is native to Arizona, Baja California, California, Nevada,^[1] and Utah.^[4] It is found in the southernmost part of Nevada, in Washington County in Utah, and the northwestern part of Arizona.^[4]

It is most common in the Mojave Desert, but is also widespread in the Sonoran Desert and west to the Pacific coast of southern California and into Baja California.^[4] Y. schidigera reaches its southernmost extent in the Baja California desert.^[5]

In the coastal part of its range, Y. schidigera usually associates with Adenostoma fasciculatum (chamise).^[4]

This yucca typically grows on rocky desert slopes and creosote desert flats between Script error: No such module "convert". altitude, rarely up to Script error: No such module "convert".. They thrive in full sun and in soil with excellent drainage. It also needs no summer water. It is related to the banana yucca (Y. baccata), which occurs in the same general area; hybrids between the two are sometimes found.

Fire ecology

Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Post fire, the Mojave yucca produces sprouts eagerly and the regeneration of the seedlings are witnessed.^[6] The fire regime is defined predominantly by heavy crop vegetation that take part in carrying the fire in the ecosystem. Over time, the invasive species that have been introduced to the ecosystem, such as grasses, have turned more fire tolerant, increasing the fire frequency and altering the fire regime that existed in the past.

Early accounts describe the flora of the Mojave Desert as arid grassland and shrubland communities. This ecosystem depended on winter precipitation. Y. schidigera was tolerant of this fire regime and rarely harmed. However, the introduction of nonnative grasses led to a higher frequency of fire, which decreased the survival rate of Y. schidigera.

Uses

Moths gather pollen from the flowers and deposit it on the stigma of a flower, the ovary of which they lay their eggs in; the larvae eat of the fruit capsule as it grows, but leave behind some seeds to develop into fruit.^[7]

The fibers of the Yucca schidigera leaves are used by Native Americans to make rope, cloth,^[7] thread,^[8] and sandals. The flowers and fruit are eaten either raw or roasted,^[7] and the black seeds were ground into a flour. The roots are used to make soap.^[7] Some reports claim that Native Americans wash their hair with yucca to fight dandruff and hair loss. Among the other maladies this yucca has been used to treat are headaches, bleeding, gonorrhea, arthritis and rheumatism.^[9]

Currently, extracts from this plant are in animal feed and various herbal medications. The rigid flower stalk of the yucca, after maturation, is used as a substitute for eucalyptus stems or logs to make didgeridoos. It is also used as a natural deodorizer, and is used in pet deodorizers. Steroid saponins are produced commercially from Y. schidigera that can be used as naturally derived food-grade surfactant.^[10] Y. schidigera is an ingredient that is found in a quarter of dog food sold. It is mainly included in their food to reduce the waste odor of most pets.^[11]

Researchers have also found that the ingestion of Y. schidigera have decreased the blood cholesterol of human and chickens, increased vitamin and mineral absorption in animals, and increased cattle reproduction.^[12]

In fish, Yucca schidigera extract is beneficial. It can improve the growth rate in fish as a result of increased protein metabolism, requiring less food to sustain populations of fish. Outside of boosted growth rates, Yucca schidigera can also be used to improve the health of fish as it reduces ammonia that may be present in the water, generally improving the water quality. Evidence also suggests that Yucca schidigera is a suitable substitute in enabling fish to fight off the many diseases that characterize aquaculture.^[13]

References

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Fritz Hochstätter (ed.): Yucca (Agavaceae). Band 1 Dehiscent-fruited species in the Southwest and Midwest of the USA, Canada and Baja California , Selbst Verlag, 2000. Template:ISBN
Fritz Hochstätter (ed.): Yucca (Agavaceae). Band 2 Indehiscent-fruited species in the Southwest, Midwest and East of the USA, Selbst Verlag. 2002. Template:ISBN
Fritz Hochstätter (ed.): Yucca (Agavaceae). Band 3 Mexico , Selbst Verlag, 2004. Template:ISBN
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External links

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@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 |status = LC
 |status_system = IUCN3.1
-|status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Arteaga, M. |author2=Solano, E. |author3=Ayala-Hernández, M.M. |author4=Puente, R. |author5=Clary, K. |author6=Hodgson, W. |author7=Salywon, A. |date=2020 |title=''Yucca schidigera'' |volume=2020 |page=e.T117428515A117470192 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T117428515A117470192.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
+|status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Arteaga, M. |author2=Solano, E. |author3=Ayala-Hernández, M.M. |author4=Puente, R. |author5=Clary, K. |author6=Hodgson, W. |author7=Salywon, A. |date=2020 |title=''Yucca schidigera'' |volume=2020 |article-number=e.T117428515A117470192 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T117428515A117470192.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
 |name = ''Yucca schidigera''<br />Mojave yucca
 |taxon = Yucca schidigera
@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 ''Yucca schidigera'' is a small [[evergreen]] [[tree]] growing to {{convert|5|m|ft|abbr=off}} tall, with a dense crown of spirally arranged bayonet-like [[leaves]] on top of a conspicuous basal trunk. The [[Bark (botany)|bark]] is gray-brown, being covered with brown dead leaves near the top, becoming irregularly rough and scaly-to-ridged closer to the ground. The leaves are {{Convert|30–150|cm|abbr=off}} long and {{Convert|4–11|cm|abbr=on|frac=4}} broad at the base, concavo-convex, thick, very rigid, and yellow-green to blue-green in color.
-The [[flower]]s are white, sometimes with a purple tinge, {{Convert|3–5|cm|abbr=on|frac=4}} long (rarely to 7.5&nbsp;cm), bell-shaped and segmented into six parts;<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Spellenberg |first=Richard |url=https://archive.org/details/nationalaudubons00spel/page/328/ |title=National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region |publisher=Knopf |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-375-40233-3 |edition=rev |pages=328 |orig-date=1979}}</ref> they are produced in a compact, bulbous cluster {{Convert|60–120|cm|abbr=on}} tall at the top of the stem. The fruit is an elongate berry, up to {{Convert|11.5|cm|abbr=on}} long.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242102075|title=Yucca schidigera in Flora of North America @ efloras.org|website=www.efloras.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/125737|title=Gartenflora|date=May 29, 1871|publisher=F. Enke|volume=20}}</ref>
+The [[flower]]s are white, sometimes with a purple tinge, {{Convert|3–5|cm|abbr=on|frac=4}} long (rarely to 7.5&nbsp;cm), bell-shaped and segmented into six parts;<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Spellenberg |first=Richard |url=https://archive.org/details/nationalaudubons00spel/page/328/ |title=National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region |publisher=Knopf |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-375-40233-3 |edition=rev |page=328 |orig-date=1979}}</ref> they are produced in a compact, bulbous cluster {{Convert|60–120|cm|abbr=on}} tall at the top of the stem. The fruit is an elongate berry, up to {{Convert|11.5|cm|abbr=on}} long.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242102075|title=Yucca schidigera in Flora of North America @ efloras.org|website=www.efloras.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/125737|title=Gartenflora|date=May 29, 1871|publisher=F. Enke|volume=20}}</ref>
 == Distribution and habitat ==
 ''Yucca schidigera'' is native to [[Arizona]], [[Baja California]], [[California]], [[Nevada]],<ref name=":1" /> and [[Utah]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Gucker |first=Corey L. |date=2006 |title=Yucca schidigera |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/shrub/yucsch/all.html |access-date=August 25, 2024 |website=Fire Effects Information System |publisher=U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.}}</ref> It is found in the southernmost part of Nevada, in [[Washington County, Utah|Washington County]] in Utah, and the northwestern part of Arizona.<ref name=":2" />
-It is most common in the [[Mojave Desert]], but is also widespread in the [[Sonoran Desert]] and west to the Pacific coast of [[southern California]] and into [[Baja California]].<ref name=":2" /> ''Y. schidigera'' reaches its southernmost extent in the [[Baja California desert]].<ref name="BajaChecklist">{{Cite journal |last1=Rebman |first1=Jon P. |last2=Gibson |first2=Judy |last3=Rich |first3=Karen |date=15 November 2016 |title=Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Baja California, Mexico |url=http://sdplantatlas.org/pdffiles/BajaChecklist2016.pdf |journal=Proceedings of the San Diego Society of Natural History |publisher=[[San Diego Natural History Museum]] |volume=45 |pages=272 |via=San Diego Plant Atlas}}</ref>
+It is most common in the [[Mojave Desert]], but is also widespread in the [[Sonoran Desert]] and west to the Pacific coast of [[southern California]] and into [[Baja California]].<ref name=":2" /> ''Y. schidigera'' reaches its southernmost extent in the [[Baja California desert]].<ref name="BajaChecklist">{{Cite journal |last1=Rebman |first1=Jon P. |last2=Gibson |first2=Judy |last3=Rich |first3=Karen |date=15 November 2016 |title=Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Baja California, Mexico |url=http://sdplantatlas.org/pdffiles/BajaChecklist2016.pdf |journal=Proceedings of the San Diego Society of Natural History |publisher=[[San Diego Natural History Museum]] |volume=45 |page=272 |via=San Diego Plant Atlas}}</ref>
 In the coastal part of its range, ''Y. schidigera'' usually associates with ''[[Adenostoma fasciculatum]]'' (chamise).<ref name=":2" />
@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 == Uses ==
-Moths gather pollen from the flowers and deposit it on the stigma of a flower, the ovary of which they lay their eggs in; the larvae eat of the [[Capsule (fruit)|fruit capsule]] as it grows, but leave behind some seeds to develop into fruit.<ref name=Audubon>{{cite book |last=Little |first=Elbert L. |title=The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Western Region |year=1994 |orig-year=1980 |publisher=Knopf |isbn=0394507614 |edition=Chanticleer Press|pages=332–33}}</ref>
+Moths gather pollen from the flowers and deposit it on the stigma of a flower, the ovary of which they lay their eggs in; the larvae eat of the [[Capsule (fruit)|fruit capsule]] as it grows, but leave behind some seeds to develop into fruit.<ref name=Audubon>{{cite book |last=Little |first=Elbert L. |title=The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Western Region |year=1994 |orig-date=1980 |publisher=Knopf |isbn=0-394-50761-4 |edition=Chanticleer Press|pages=332–33}}</ref>
 The fibers of the ''Yucca schidigera'' leaves are used by [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] to make rope, cloth,<ref name=Audubon/> thread,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Prado|first=Paul|title=The yucca plant: A staple of Native Americans|url=https://www.highlandnews.net/entertainment/the-yucca-plant-a-staple-of-native-americans/article_799f444c-519c-11e9-ac44-f7e1c5c91776.html|access-date=2022-01-11|website=Highland Community News|language=en}}</ref> and sandals. The flowers and fruit are eaten either raw or roasted,<ref name=Audubon/> and the black seeds were ground into a [[flour]]. The roots are used to make [[soap]].<ref name=Audubon/>
-Some reports claim that Native Americans wash their hair with yucca to fight [[dandruff]] and [[hair loss]]. Among the other maladies this yucca has been used to treat are headaches, bleeding, [[gonorrhea]], [[arthritis]] and [[rheumatism]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cheeke |first1=Pr |last2=Piacente |first2=S |last3=Oleszek |first3=W |date=December 2006 |title=Anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic effects of yucca schidigera: A review |journal=Journal of Inflammation |language=en |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=6 |doi=10.1186/1476-9255-3-6 |issn=1476-9255 |pmc=1440857 |pmid=16571135 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
+Some reports claim that Native Americans wash their hair with yucca to fight [[dandruff]] and [[hair loss]]. Among the other maladies this yucca has been used to treat are headaches, bleeding, [[gonorrhea]], [[arthritis]] and [[rheumatism]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cheeke |first1=Pr |last2=Piacente |first2=S |last3=Oleszek |first3=W |date=December 2006 |title=Anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic effects of yucca schidigera: A review |journal=Journal of Inflammation |language=en |volume=3 |issue=1 |page=6 |doi=10.1186/1476-9255-3-6 |issn=1476-9255 |pmc=1440857 |pmid=16571135 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
 Currently, extracts from this plant are in animal feed and various [[herb]]al medications. The rigid flower stalk of the yucca, after maturation, is used as a substitute for eucalyptus stems or logs to make [[didgeridoo]]s. It is also used as a natural [[deodorizer]], and is used in pet deodorizers. Steroid [[saponins]] are produced commercially from ''Y.&nbsp;schidigera'' that can be used as naturally derived food-grade surfactant.<ref>{{Cite journal | doi=10.1111/ijfs.13715|title = Formation and stability of emulsions stabilised by Yucca saponin extract| journal=International Journal of Food Science & Technology| volume=53| issue=6| pages=1381–1388|year = 2018|last1 = Ralla|first1 = Theo| last2=Salminen| first2=Hanna| last3=Tuosto| first3=Jessica| last4=Weiss| first4=Jochen|s2cid = 103939044}}</ref> ''Y.&nbsp;schidigera'' is an ingredient that is found in a quarter of [[dog food]] sold. It is mainly included in their food to reduce the [[waste]] odor of most pets.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-10 |title=Can Dogs Eat Yucca? |url=https://canmydogeat.org/can-dogs-eat-yucca/ |access-date=2024-01-12 |website=CanMyDogEat.org |language=en}}</ref>
@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 Researchers have also found that the ingestion of ''Y.&nbsp;schidigera'' have decreased the [[blood cholesterol]] of human and chickens, increased vitamin and mineral absorption in animals, and increased cattle reproduction.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Yucca schidigera|url=https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/yucsch/all.html#FIRE%20ECOLOGY|access-date=2020-11-10|website=www.fs.fed.us}}</ref>
-In fish, ''Yucca schidigera'' extract is beneficial. It can improve the growth rate in fish as a result of increased protein metabolism, requiring less food to sustain populations of fish. Outside of boosted growth rates, ''Yucca schidigera'' can also be used to improve the health of fish as it reduces ammonia that may be present in the water, generally improving the water quality. Evidence also suggests that ''Yucca schidigera'' is a suitable substitute in enabling fish to fight off the many diseases that characterize aquaculture.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Paray |first1=Bilal Ahamad |last2=El-Basuini |first2=Mohamed F. |last3=Alagawany |first3=Mahmoud |last4=Albeshr |first4=Mohammed Fahad |last5=Farah |first5=Mohammad Abul |last6=Dawood |first6=Mahmoud A. O. |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Yucca schidigera Usage for Healthy Aquatic Animals: Potential Roles for Sustainability |journal=Animals |language=en |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=93 |doi=10.3390/ani11010093 |pmid=33419069 |pmc=7825398 |issn=2076-2615|doi-access=free }}</ref>
+In fish, ''Yucca schidigera'' extract is beneficial. It can improve the growth rate in fish as a result of increased protein metabolism, requiring less food to sustain populations of fish. Outside of boosted growth rates, ''Yucca schidigera'' can also be used to improve the health of fish as it reduces ammonia that may be present in the water, generally improving the water quality. Evidence also suggests that ''Yucca schidigera'' is a suitable substitute in enabling fish to fight off the many diseases that characterize aquaculture.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Paray |first1=Bilal Ahamad |last2=El-Basuini |first2=Mohamed F. |last3=Alagawany |first3=Mahmoud |last4=Albeshr |first4=Mohammed Fahad |last5=Farah |first5=Mohammad Abul |last6=Dawood |first6=Mahmoud A. O. |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Yucca schidigera Usage for Healthy Aquatic Animals: Potential Roles for Sustainability |journal=Animals |language=en |volume=11 |issue=1 |page=93 |doi=10.3390/ani11010093 |pmid=33419069 |pmc=7825398 |issn=2076-2615|doi-access=free }}</ref>
 ==References==
@@ Line 64: / Line 64: @@
 *[https://www.desertusa.com/cactus/mohave-yucca.html Desert USA entry for Mojave Yucca]
 * [http://www.yuccaagavaceae.com/species.html Common names of yucca species]
-*[http://www.bennyskaktus.dk/Y_schid.htm Additional info on the Mojave Yucca]
+*[http://www.bennyskaktus.dk/Y_schid.htm Additional info on the Mojave Yucca] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923183539/http://www.bennyskaktus.dk/Y_schid.htm |date=2015-09-23 }}
 {{Taxonbar|from=Q1518712}}

Yucca schidigera: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 09:08, 5 October 2025

Contents

Description

Distribution and habitat

Fire ecology

Uses

References

External links

Navigation menu

Yucca schidigera: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 09:08, 5 October 2025

Description

Distribution and habitat

Fire ecology

Uses

References

External links

Navigation menu

Search