Soaptree yucca, more often known simply as soapweed or palmilla 

 '(Mexican for little palm), is a somewhat palmlike plant, crowned 

 with a dense tuft of swordlike leaves; the naked, treelike stems are 

 from 3 to 20 feet high or, under the most favorable conditions, 

 occasionally even 30 feet high. The species is one of the most com- 

 mon and conspicuous desert shrubs or trees of the Southwest, being 

 particularly picturesque when the large, beautiful clusters of waxy- 

 white flowers appear in May and June. It is then often reproduced 

 both on canvas and film by artists and photographers. Because this 

 species is symbolic of the Southwestern deserts, its selection as the 

 State flower of New Mexico is very appropriate. Yucca, usually 

 spelled yuca, was the Carib name for cassava (Mcmihot utilissima), 

 a well-known tropical food plant of the spurge family. Linnaeus 

 is said to have selected the name Yucca for this American liliaceous 

 genus as a result of a misapplication of the name to it by the seven- 

 teenth century British botanist John Gerard. The specific name 

 elata means tall, and refers to the height and stately appearance of 

 the more luxuriant individuals of this species. 



Soaptree yucca occurs from western Texas, through southern New 

 Mexico and southern Arizona, south into Mexico, preferring dry, 

 sandy plains and mesas, although it is able to grow on clayey or 

 gravelly soils. In its chosen habitat it is frequently the dominant 

 plant over extensive areas. Black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda) is 

 one of its most common associates, but on some ranges, where black 

 grama has almost or entirely disappeared due to overgrazing, soap- 

 tree yucca still persists in association with honey mesquite (Prosopis 

 gla/ndulosa), snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarotkrae) , and other plants of 

 low palatability. 



The flowers of soaptree yucca, borne in large clusters during May 

 and June, are succulent and, if within reach, are eagerly sought by 

 cattle. The growing tips in the center of the upper circle of leaves 

 are also grazed to some extent while young and fleshy, especially 

 during a dearth of other forage. The greatest value of this species 

 is as a maintenance food for range cattle in time of prolonged 

 drought. The leaves, except for the growing tips, are harsh, tough, 

 and sharp-pointed, and livestock have difficulty in utilizing them on 

 the range. However, special chopping and shredding machines have 

 been devised for converting the green leaves -and stalks of such plants 

 into emergency feed. Wooton 2 reports that "if fed alone it may be 

 expected to keep stock from starving; if fed with concentrates a 

 properly balanced ration may be worked out." Forsling 3 found 

 that "from 15 to 20 pounds of chopped soapweed with 1 to V/ s 

 pounds of cottonseed meal daily will maintain the average breeding 

 cow and may improve her condition slowly." He noted that feeding 

 chopped soaptree yucca without a supplemental concentrate like cot- 

 tonseed meal was not entirely satisfactory. The chopped feed is 

 palatable to livestock as the juices of the plant are sweet. The 

 slight danger of cattle choking or bloating can be overcome by use 

 of machinery which will chop the plant into small pieces, and by 



2 WootOn, E. O. CERTAIN DESERT PLANTS AS EMERGENCY STOCK FEED. U. S. Dept. Agr. 



Bull. 728, 31 pp., illus. 1918. 



3 Forsling, C. L. CHOPPED SOAPWEED AS EMERGENCY FEED FOR CATTLE ON SOUTHWESTERN 

 RANGES. U. S. Dept. Agr. Bull. 745, 20 pp., illus. 1919. 



