Faxon Yucca (Yucca faxoniana): Giant Spanish Dagger

Overview

Faxon Yucca (Yucca faxoniana), also called Giant Spanish Dagger, Eve's Needle, or Carneros Yucca, is a massive, trunk-forming yucca from West Texas and northern Mexico. A stout, single trunk (or few branches) supports a dense crown of long, rigid, blue-green, spine-tipped leaves up to 4 feet long. The leaf margins have curly white fibers. In spring, a towering spike (3–6 ft) bears massive panicles of creamy-white, bell-shaped flowers. Extremely cold hardy (zone 5) and drought-tolerant. A monumental architectural specimen for large xeric landscapes.

Key Features

• Trunk: Stout, single or few-branched; fibrous.
• Leaves: Long (3–4 ft), rigid, blue-green; spine-tipped; curly marginal fibers.
• Flowers: Creamy-white bells; huge panicle on tall spike; spring.
• Hardiness: USDA zones 5–10. Very cold hardy.

Care Guidelines

Light

Full sun.

Water

Very low. Drought-tolerant.

Soil

Well-drained, gritty. Mineral soil.

Maintenance

Remove dead leaves for clean trunk.

Taxonomy

Family:	Agavaceae
Genus:	Yucca (YUK-uh)
Species:	faxoniana (faks-on-ee-AY-na)
Synonyms:	Samuela carnerosana, Samuela faxoniana, Yucca carnerosana