Yucca brevifolia
Common: Joshua tree
Family: Agavaceae
Origin: Native to deserts of Southern California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona
Sunset Zone: 8-24
Light: Full sun
Soil: Dry, well drained
Water: Quite drought resistant. Water once or twice a season in very dry low regions. Do not overwater.
Picturesque. Nursery plants are slow to make trunks.
Best in desert gardens. Difficult under average garden conditions.
Heavy trunk, and few, heavy and long twisted branches. Slow growing to 15-30 ft., sometimes 40 ft. tall and 8-10 feet wide with arms, sometimes to 30 ft. wide. Short, broad, sword-shaped grayish to dull green leaves cluster near ends of branches; old dead leaves hang on.
Lilylike flowers (February - April) greenish white, in dense, foot-long clusters at ends of branches. Lilylike flowers (February - April) greenish white, in dense, foot-long clusters at ends of branches.