688 YUCCA 



4^ ft. high, rarely branched. Flower dull greenish white, i\ to 3 ins. long, 

 pendulous. 



Native of the south central United States; introduced early in the 

 nineteenth century. It is quite hardy at Kew, and several plants have 

 grown on a south slope in the Bamboo Garden for over twenty years. They 

 flower occasionally, but not with the freedom and regularity of Y. gloriosa 

 and recurvifolia. Neither is the inflorescence so striking, being of a pale 

 green, rather than truly white. Still, it is quite handsome. 



Var. STRICTA, Trelease (Y. stricta, Sims; Bot. Mag., t. ,2222). This 

 differs from typical glauca in its more vigorous growth, in its stems being 

 more developed, and in the regularly branched inflorescence. 



The Yucca figured as Y. glauca in Bot. Mag., t. 2662, is now called 

 Y. flaccida var. integra, Trelease 



Y. GLORIOSA, Linnaus. ADAM'S NEEDLE. 

 (Bot. Mag., t. 1260.) 



An evergreen shrub up to 6 or 8 ft. high in this country, sometimes 

 branched, but oftener consisting of a single, thick, fleshy stem, crowned with 

 a cluster of numerous stiff, straight, spine-tipped leaves i to 2 ft. long, by 

 2 to 3 ins. wide; glaucous green when young, quite smooth. Flowers 

 produced from July to September, crowded on an erect, narrowly conical 

 panicle, 3 to 4^ ft. high, and I ft. wide. The flowers are pendulous, creamy 

 white, sometimes tinged with red or purple outside, the six parts of the 

 perianth oblong-lanceolate and pointed. The fruit is an oblong capsule 2 to 

 2| ins. long, six-ribbed; seeds glossy, \ in. long. * 



Native of the coast region of eastern N. America, from S. Carolina to 

 N.E. Florida, often on sand-dunes. It was cultivated by Gerard in his 

 garden at Holborn late in the sixteenth' century, and has long been a 

 favourite in the gardens of south and western Britain. Even now, in the 

 twentieth century, gardens can show no more striking a feature than a group 

 of plants in flower. It is closely allied to the commoner Y. recurvifolia, 

 but easily distinguished by the straight, rigid leaves. It is not so common 

 as that species, and although quite hardy in not being affected by frost, 

 is apparently more subject to decay and injury by winter damp and 

 snow. (See plate, vol. i., p. 4.) 



Var ELLACOMBEI, Baker (var. nobilis, Carricre ; Y. Ellacombei, Baker}. 

 Leaves persistently glaucous, the outer ones recurving, and sometimes 

 twisted on one side ; not, or scarcely ribbed. Petals red at the back. It 

 approaches Y. recurvifolia in habit. The original plant is said by Canon 

 Ellacombe to have been obtained from Loddiges' nursery at Hackney by his 

 father. It is a fine Yucca, perhaps from gloriosa crossed with recurvifolia. 



Var. MEDIO-STRIATA has a whitish stripe down the centre of the 

 leaf. 



Var. VARIEGATA. Leaves striped with dull yellow. 



Y. RECURVIFOLIA, Salisbury. 

 (Y. recurva, Haworth^) 



An evergreen shrub up to 6 or 8 ft. high, more or less branched. Leaves 

 at first glaucous, 2 to 3 ft. or even more long, i^ to 2j ins. wide; tapering to 

 a fine stiff point, all but the upper leaves much recurved. Flowers creamy- 

 white, 2 to 3 ins. across, in an erect panicle 2 to 3 ft. high, not so tall, nor 

 standing so clear of the leaves as in Y. gloriosa, and with the flowers more 



