Yucca Elephantipes (Spineless Yucca / Stick Yucca)

About the Yucca Houseplant

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.

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.

You are watching: Yucca Elephantipes (Spineless Yucca / Stick Yucca)

Did You Know? 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.

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!

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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.

A mature Yucca is bold and striking with straight angular edges, it looks very fitting in modern homes. Whereas younger, smaller plants will suit the majority of homes

The leaves of Y. elephantipes while not overly sharp still have a pointed end, so you should still take care. The wide sword shaped leaves are also pretty tough, you won’t for example be able to rip them with your fingers and while such hardy greenery might please claw happy cat owners, they may enjoy using the bare “trunk” as a scratching post instead.

If you aren’t sure which variety you are looking at, Y. aloifolia has narrow leaves that gradually taper to a sharp point, where as Y. elephantipes has wider sword shaped leaves that arch slightly. Which ever type you have, the care requirements are the same for each.

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It’s common to buy a Yucca which has been grown from a special “log” or stem, after potting it up, the new green growth emerges out of the top of this stem and the roots grow out of the bottom and into the soil. It can look a lot like a miniature palm tree, or in some cases a Dragon Tree (Dracaena).

The leathery like leaves arch and will eventually yellow and fall off, replaced by the new top growth, this gradually increases the height of the plant. The exposed trunk is certainly attractive by itself but a tall plant can lose its appeal by appearing “leggy”, and this is why its normal to find several Yucca’s in a pot all of different sizes to negate this future “leggy” effect.

A mature Yucca is bold and striking with straight angular edges, it looks very fitting in modern minimalist homes as a stand alone specimen plant.

The smaller, younger Yucca’s (which would suit the majority of homes style wise) are relatively cheap, and easily found. However the taller branched or pots containing multiple plants at different heights are considerably more in price and significantly harder to get hold of.

We’ve learnt a bit about the plant so lets dive into the Care instructions, which if you follow will keep your Yucca in great condition and health.

Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Outdoor