Mojave Yucca, Yucca schidigera

About Mojave Yucca (Yucca schidigera) 19 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Mojave Yucca is a species in the Agaveceae (Agave) family that is native to southern California. It grows in coastal sage scrub near the coast, in mountain chaparral, and in desert transition areas at elevations from sea level to 8,200 feet. Like others in this family it is a monocot, so the leaves have parallel veins. The leaves emerge from a central rosette, are succulent and quite stiff, with sharp terminal spines and long, tough fibers. Some of these fibers are typically visible along the edge of the leaves. Native people processed the leaves and used the fibers for cordage. In spring the plant produces a flower stalk 12-18 inches in height covered with white or cream colored flowers. The flower is pollinated by only a single species of Yucca Moth, and many of the flowers go unpollinated. The fruit is a large capsule holding dozens of black, wedge-shaped seeds. It reproduces only by seed, not by offsets as other Agaves do. Unlike most other members of this family, Mohave Yucca does not die after blooming, a trait it shares with Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia). For this reason, it tends to grow taller with age, starting at ground level as a young plant and eventually reaching 10ft. or more. Older plants are usually branched and each branch carrying a leaf rosette. Areas that support older specimens have not been disturbed or burned for many years.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub, Succulent

Size

1 - 16 ft tall
5 ft wide

Form

Upright

Growth Rate

Slow

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

Slight

Flower Color

Cream, White

Flowering Season

Spring

Wildlife Supported

Hummingbirds and numerous insects are attracted to the flowers.
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 1 confirmed

, 5 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Yucca Giant-Skipper Megathymus yuccaeMegathymus yuccae

Navel Orangeworm Amyelois transitellaAmyelois transitella

Yellowstriped Armyworm Moth Spodoptera ornithogalliSpodoptera ornithogalli

Sosipatra rileyellaSosipatra rileyella

Yucca Moth Tegeticula yuccasellaTegeticula yuccasella

Holcocera iceryaeellaHolcocera iceryaeella

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun

Moisture

Extremely Low, Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Never irrigate once established

Nurseries

Carried by 19

Ease of Care

Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 10° F

Soil Drainage

Fast

Soil Description

Sandy and rocky. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Common uses

Hedges, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens

Companion Plants

Use with any Coastal Sage Scrub or Chaparral plants including Lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos species), Mission Manzanita (Xylococcus bicolor), Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), Ceanothus species, Milkweed (Asclepias species), Giant Wild Rye (Elymus condensatus), Sand Aster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia), Sagebrush (Artemisia californica), Monkeyflower (Mimulus species), Encelia californica, Buckwheat (Eriogonum species), Heartleaf Keckiella (Keckiella cordifolia), Penstemon species, Salvia species, Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), Scrub Oak (Quercus berberidifolia or dumosa), and others

Maintenance

None. The dried flower stalk can be removed in fall or allowed to remain. Dried leaves can be pruned off or allowed to hang down along the trunk.

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Sunset Zones?

2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10*, 11, 12, 14*, 15, 16, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24

Natural Setting

Site Type

Dry mountain slopes, canyons, and flats from the immediate coast to the desert edge of southern California as part of Coastal Sage Scrub or Chaparral vegetation (coastal and mountains) or Creosote Bush Scrub near the desert

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 3.6" - 27.2", Summer Precipitation: 0.18" - 2.90", Coldest Month: 38.2" - 60.7", Hottest Month: 63.9" - 87.6", Humidity: 1.19" - 38.99", Elevation: 0" - 6548"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Izote De Ensenada, Spanish Dagger

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Mojave Yucca

Yucca schidigera

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Mojave YuccaYucca schidigera

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Mojave Yucca

Yucca schidigera