Look out this plant is a monster . (Yucca)

Member Name: mumsymary

Product:	Yucca
Date:	11/03/07 (6459 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy

Disadvantages: spiky large leaves

Yucca, Many offices and homes have a yucca plant; personally I am not very keen on this plant. The Yucca belongs to the lilleacea family (lily). There are between 40 and 50 species of this plant/ it is a native of Mexico, north and Central America. The biggest is the Joshua tree. The one you would probably see in your office is Yucca guatemalensis / elephantipes or yucca aloifolia
These plants are suited to an office environment liking it hot and dry.

Yucca guatemalensis is a yucca often grown as a house plant in the UK This plant can grow up to 30 foot high. These leaves are not too sharp like some other species of yucca. The leaves do grow to 3 or 4 foot long though. Those grown as house plants rarely reach these dimensions though.
This plant has white flowers which grow on a flower spike. This yucca can not grow outside in England except on the warm sheltered south coast. This is an easy to look after plant in the office. . The trunk will grow round it has a rough bark like trunk and from it green leaves grow in a spiral rosette. There is a variety variegated with white. Although this plant likes the sun it is happy in low light conditions. Needs little watering.

The Yucca aloifolia is often called the Spanish bayonette ,If you see this yucca you will know why , This plant grows like a tree and has long spear like leaves growing in a rosette around the top of the thick trunk like stem . It can grow to 10 feet tall spreading to 6-8 feet.
Apparently a lot of this plant can be eaten cooked tasting delicious but I have never tried it. Do read about it before eating though do not take my word for it.
Fibres from the leaves are used in making ropes and the leaves used for baskets / mats and for thatching.

Beware the leaves are very sharp tipped; they are green with cream variegations. This plant will bear flowers, the tip of the trunk will grow a spire of white flowers in ideal conditions this flower spire will grow to 2 foot tall. The yucca species plants are generally pollinated by one moth species only but the yucca aliofolia is self fertile. It will produce seeds on your office plant; however the flower looks messy after flowering so best cut it off.
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There are a couple of other yucca species that are suitable as houseplants but I know little about them.

I think it is possible to buy Yucca at a garden centre but for a fully grown one look on eBay there are several monsters there for sale .

Summary: Aplant species native of Mexico , northern and central American