Andalucia Life Fauna and Flora, Flowers of Andalucia Southern Spain

November 2004, Spanish Bayonet, Yucca gloriosa

This plant is a native of Central America and grows widely there. It has become naturalised on the coast of Andalucia after it was introduced to this region as an ornamental. The photograph was taken at Genalgaucil in the public gardens.

When young this plant has a rosette of very sharp bayonet shaped leaves growing to about 1 metre high and wide. From June to September on the coast and October inland, a single flower spike emerges from the centre of the rosette to a height of about 2 metres. Each flower is bell shaped and creamy white. When older the central rosette grows on a woody stem that can grow to 3 metres and side rosettes may grow at the base.

The flowers of this plant are germinated by a particular moth, the yucca moth believe it or not, that was not exported to this country with the plant so, to obtain seeds to grow your own Yucca from a wild plant you must pollinate by hand and then return about January for the seeds.

A cultivated plant can be propagated from root cuttings taken in winter and the offsets taken off in spring. How they became naturalised here is a mystery.