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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Agavaceae (now Asparagaceae) |
| Origin: Guatemala (North America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: White |
| Bloomtime: Spring/Summer |
| Synonyms: [Yucca gigantea, Y gloriosa, Hort.] |
| Height: 15-25 feet |
| Width: 15-25 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Seaside: Yes |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Deer Tolerant: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 15-20° F |
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Yucca elephantipes (Giant Yucca) - This is a quick and easy-growing treelike yucca with a trunk, usually multi-stemmed, to 15 feet tall or more. Some specimens can even reach a height of 25 feet. The soft tipped 12-18 inch long flexible leaves are pale green with small teeth along the margins and a soft tip. Large white flowers appear in late spring or summer on 2-3 foot tall flower stalks. It will grow in seaside gardens. Do not plant it near foundations as this yucca is hard to remove once mature. There has long been a discussion on the validity of applying the name Yucca gloriosa to this plant. The true Yucca gloriosa of the south-eastern United States is shorter, with blue green leaves that are more rigid and the plant does not get as massive a base. David Ferguson wrote in the VOL.73 of the Cactus & Succulent Journal that nurseries on the west coast have long misidentified Yucca elephantipes as Yucca gloriosa. This leads to the further problem of what to call the plant with long luxurious leaves that we have long misidentified as Yucca elephantipes. Some still believe this is the true Yucca elephantipes while others think it a hybrid. Any with an opinion on this please let us know. Yucca elephantipes is from Mexico, Guatemala. The name Yucca was given to the genus by Linnaeus, perhaps by mistake, as it is the Latinized derivation of "yuca", the Caribbean name for Cassava (Manihot esculenta) an unrelated plant in the Euphorbia family that is native to the Caribbean area. Interestingly it was also Linnaeus who applied the name Manihot to Yuca.
The information about Yucca elephantipes displayed on this page is based on research conducted in our library and from reliable online resources. We also relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we visit, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others, and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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