Yucca schotti
Common: Schott's yucca, Spanish dagger, Mountain yucca, Spanish bayonet, Hoary yucca
Family: Agavaceae
Origin: Hillsides and canyons, 4,000 to 7,000 feet. Sonoran and Mojave Deserts.
Soil: Prefers rocky, well-drained soil
Water: Drought tolerant once established but need more water than most people realize. Need supplemental water in low desert.
Flower stalk to 18 feet. Evergreen. Grows new asparaguslike flower stalk yearly.
Single to multiple stemmed, grows at moderate rate to 15 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Bluish green leaves; edges are reddish without teeth or threads. Lance-shaped, flat, flexible and leathery. Sharp-pointed. To 2-1/2 feet long, 2 inches wide.
Should be treated as non-succulent. White waxy flowers, bell-shaped, with 6 broad, pointed sepals.
Short-stalked upright clusters followed by green, fleshy, bananalike fruits growing to 5 inches long. Fruits fall before winter.
Grows well in the shade, but will not flower there.
Native Americans eat buds, flowers and young flower stalks. Leaf fibers are made into mats, baskets, cloth, rope and sandals. Prepared roots are used as a soap substitute. There are nine species of Yucca in Arizona