yucca elephantipes

yucca elephantipes

Yucca's are both indoor and outdoor plants. In fact when a lot of people hear the word Yucca they think about one of the many garden varieties which have dramatic clusters of white bell like flowers during Summer. However it's also a popular modern houseplant.

It has only started to become popular as an indoor plant quite recently, in fact if you have any old houseplant books laying around it's quite normal not to find it mentioned at all.

Although all varieties are easy enough to grow, there is generally only one popular variety grown as an indoor plant these days and that is Y. elephantipes, we would strongly advise giving any plant labeled Y. aloifolia a miss.

The nickname given to Y. aloifolia is "Spanish Bayonet" and if that wasn't enough of a clue as to why it doesn't belong indoors, here in plain English is why you don't want it in your home; the leaves are razor sharp! Accidentally brushing past without clothes on (it's been known to happen trust us) or leaning into Y. aloifolia can be pretty painful to say the least. Fortunately Y. elephantipes commonly known as the "Stick Yucca" or as it should now make more sense; the "Spineless Yucca" doesn't have razor sharp leaves. 

https://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/yucca

Botanical Name: Yucca elephantipes

Gaining in popularity, the yucca plant makes a beautiful floor accent year-round. Many cultivars are available to choose from. 'Variegata' leaves are broadly edged in white... and 'Silver Star' has silvery gray-green leaves.

Yuccas are available as either stemless leaf rosettes or as stout, cane-like trees with one or two leaf rosettes at the top. Young plants are stemless rosettes of long, sword-shaped leaves with pointed tips. As they mature, yucca plants develop thick, woody trunks with several arching leaf rosettes at the top. The edges of these leaves are spineless, and not as sharp as others in this genus, giving Y. elephantipes the common name Spineless Yucca.

Place a young plant on a pedestal plant stand to show it off. Older plants make a bold architectural statement in any room, so put one in a spot where it will get the attention it deserves. Those pointed leaves punctuating the air are something to admire. 

This plant is extremely easy to grow and is tolerant of changing conditions throughout the year, such as light, humidity and temperature.

You can move your yucca plant on the patio for the summer months where it will get some direct sun every day. Outdoors, it may produce tall spikes of fragrant, white flowers.

https://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/yucca.html

Yucca gigantea

Common names include spineless yucca, soft-tip yucca, blue-stem yucca, giant yucca, yucca cane, and itabo. Its flower, the izote, is the national flower of El Salvador.

Yucca gigantea is usually less than 6 m (20 ft) in height. It may have a thick, single trunk or be multitrunked resulting from a thickened, inflated, trunk-like lower base similar to an elephant's foot. The exceptionally narrow leaves fan out in clumps. They are strap-like, spineless and up to 1.2 m (4 ft) in length. White flowers are produced in the summer. Mature plants produce erect spikes of pendent flowers up to 1 m (3.3 ft) in length.Flowers are followed by brown, fleshy fruits which are oval and up to 2.5 cm (1 in) long.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_gigantea