Yucca Rostrata

Perhaps the most handsome yucca, Yucca rostrata (Beaked Yucca) is a very ornamental, slow-growing, evergreen tree-like yucca forming a perfectly symmetrical pom-pom, full of hundreds of 2 ft. long (60 cm), sharp-tipped, pale bluish-green leaves. This shimmering rosette is mounted atop a tree trunk, which is covered with the soft gray fibers of the old leaves, creating a silver haze. This Yucca is topped in late spring with yellow-orange flowering stalks that rise above the foliage on mature plants, and bear large clusters of white flowers. Although it can branch, Yucca rostrata is usually seen with a single trunk. Often confused with Yucca rigida, Yucca rostrata lacks the stiffness in the leaves characterizing Yucca rigida, making this plant less dangerous than most others of the genus. This species is highly tolerant of drought, heat and frost. It withstands temperatures as low as – 10°F (-23°C).