Yucca filamentosa, commonly known as Adam's needle, is a medicinal plant native to eastern North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

.

Usually trunkless, Yucca filamentosa is a multisuckering

Basal shoot

A basal shoot, root sprout, adventitious shoot, water sprout or sucker is a shoot or cane which grows from a bud at the base of a tree or shrub or from its roots. This shoot then becomes, or takes the form of, a singular plant. A plant that produces suckers is referred to as surculose...

 plant with heads of 30 inch (75 cm) long, filamentous, blue green strappy leaves

Leaf

A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....

. The plant is fully hardy

Hardiness (plants)

Hardiness of plants describe their ability to survive adverse growing conditions. It is usually limited to discussions of climatic adversity. Thus a plant's ability to tolerate cold, heat, drought, flooding, or wind are typically considered measurements of hardiness. Hardiness of plants is defined...

. Yucca filamentosa is readily identified from other Yucca species by white threads (filaments) on the leaf margins (see image).

Flower stems up to 10 ft (3 m) tall bear masses of pendulous cream flowers in early summer.

In the wild, Y. filamentosa is native to the southeastern United States, as far west as Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

 and as far north as Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

. However, it is widely cultivated and can be found naturalized outside its native range.

Y. filamentosa is closely related to Yucca flaccida and it is possible they should in fact be classified as a single species.

Yuccas are useful garden perennials because they bloom at night (nyctinasty

Nyctinasty

Nyctinasty is the circadian rhythmic nastic movement of higher plants in response to the onset of darkness. Examples are the closing of the petals of a flower at dusk and the sleep movements of the leaves of many legumes....

). The creamy-white flowers fill with sap and lift petals to the darkening sky then release a sweet odor (which reminds some viewers as smelling of a toilet soap) that attracts the very small pollinator, the yucca moth.

Cultivars

• Bright Edge is a dwarf cultivar with yellow-edged foliage and creamy flowers tinged with green.
• Golden Sword is similar to Bright Edge but larger.
• Ivory Tower has creamy white flowers tinged with green.
• Color Guard has broad yellow stripes all year, plus red stripes in the Winter.

External links

• Yucca filamentosa care