Yucca Stucka

s
h
off
w













On my property, the scattered yuccas that live here with me are mostly in shady forest. I don't think that is their preferred zone, I'm sure full sun would be more to their liking, but they seem to do okay. They are one of those organisms, like the gopher tortoise, cactus, and the scrub jay that remind us of Florida's more desertlike environment during the last ice age.




s
p
i
n










There are lots of yucca varieties out there. This is the native...Yucca filamentosa...he said nervously, not bothering to check his facts.
In "Florida's First Peoples" by Brown, yucca is mentioned as a source of fiber that was utilized by early Floridamericans. I found it curious that Pablo of RRJ noted that yuccas bloom in June there, when that is exactly when they start blooming here. We share a lot of plants, but usually his calendar of events is a month or two behind us. Not in this case though.


g
e
to
h
e
point











Each leaf blade is tipped with a hardened needle sharp point. This native variety is not as intimidating as some of the other varieties in the plant nurseries. One type, called, "Spanish Bayonets" is loaded with blades that form an impenetrable cluster of points.

When we were kids, a new neighbor planted a row of these around their property...one can only assume it was to keep kids (us) from crisscrossing his new yard. My dad saw what was happening and asked New Neighbor not to plant them on our side. Neighbor complied and planted a ligustrum hedge instead. On the other side of his yard, he planted a barricade of wickedly sharp bayonets.

A while later, my childhood chum, Harry, is clowning around standing atop a galvanized trash can...next to the now salivating, Spanish Bayonets. Can you guess what happened next?

When Harry was painfully extracted from the bayonets, he looked like a connect the dots puzzle.