Yucca filamentosa L.

Adam’s needle, yucca

About plant names...

These yuccas are native to the southeastern United States, and are now found as far north as MA and as far west as Texas. Cultivars of these yuccas are popular with gardeners.

Identification: Like other yuccas, Adam's needle looks sort of like an oversized tuft of grass. A group of evergreen straplike leaves, about 1" (2.5 cm) in diameter, erupt from a central point. Leaves are up to 3' (91 cm) in length. Like several other yuccas, Adam's needle has thin, wiry curls or filaments on the leaves (hence the species filamentosa).

The plant blooms by growing a central spike up to 8' (2.4 m) high, covered with drooping, cream-colored flowers about 2" (5 cm) in size. Plants die after producing these stunning blooming displays.

See the Yucca page for a comparison with other yuccas.

Online References:

Floridata.com

Ohio State University

Www.carolinanature.com

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

The Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation

References:

Irish, Mary & Irish, Gary, Agaves, Yuccas and Related Plants: A Gardener’s Guide, Timber Press, 2000, p. 246

5/31/2010 · Mt. Lebanon St., Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 3½ × 2½' (1.2 × 0.8 m)

5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 3½ × 2½' (1 × 0.8 m) ID is uncertain

6/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 31 × 46" (78 × 117 cm)

Yucca filamentosa description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

7/29/2023 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts ID is uncertain

6/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 16 × 24" (41 × 62 cm)

7/17/2009 · Mt. Lebanon St, Trail, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4 × 6' (1.2 × 1.8 m) ID is uncertain

6/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 8 × 12" (20 × 31 cm)

4/14/2010 · Mt. Lebanon St., Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 3½ × 2½' (1.2 × 0.8 m)

Range: Zones 5-10:

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