408 Select Plants for Industrial Culture 



to about 80 feet and of very considerable girth. Foliage deciduous. 

 The wood is reddish-brown, close-grained, and pervaded when fresh 

 by an oily glutinous clamminess. The heartwood is of greater dura- 

 bility than even teak, and of a marvellous resistance to shocks 

 through its extreme hardness. It is used for gun-carriages, crooks 

 of ships, railway-sleepers, tools, gauges, ploughs, house- and bridge- 

 posts (Laslett). It is as indestructible as iron, hence locally called 

 iron-wood; a rifle shot at 20 yards distance will scarcely cause any 

 penetration into it (Colonel Blake). Neither the teredo nor termites 

 will touch the heartwood (J. Hooker). It can only be sawn up in a 

 fresh state. The stem exudes a red gum-resin (Kurz). This tree 

 yields also saponin. 



Yucca aloifolia, Linn. 



Carolina, Florida, West-India, Mexico, in coast-sand. Stem to 20 

 feet high. With its congeners a fibre-plant. 



Yucca angustifolia, Pursh. 



From Missouri and Iowa to Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. 

 Height according to Mr. Greene to about 15 feet. One of the 

 hardiest of all. 



Yucca baccata, Torrey. 



Colorado, Texas, Southern California, Utah, Northern Mexico. 

 In its ordinary state not tall; but the variety Y. filifera (Chabaud) 

 will sometimes produce a stem half a hundred feet high with a 

 diameter to 3 feet. The leaves are singularly short (S. Watson). 

 This furnishes the Tambico-fibre for cordage, ropes, rugs and other 

 fabrics. 



Yucca brevifolia, Engelmann. 



Southern California, Arizona and Utah, in the deserts, ascending 

 to 4,000 feet. Attains a height of 30 feet, The whole plant can be 

 converted into paper (Vasey, Baker). 



Yucca filamentosa, Linne. 



The Adam's Needle. From Maryland to Florida. An almost 

 stemless species. It would hardly be right, to omit the plants of this 

 genus altogether here, as they furnish a fibre of great strength, 

 similar to that of the Agaves. Moreover, all these plants are 

 decorative, and live in the poorest soil, even in drifting coast-sand. 

 They are also not hurt, as is the case with the Fourcroyas, by slight 

 frosts. 



Yucca gloriosa, Linn. 



Carolina and Florida, along the sandy coast-tracts. Stem not tall, 

 . but leaves very numerous. The fibre of the leaves furnishes much 

 material for rope to supply the wants for ships and boats locally. 

 Yucca-ropes are lighter, stronger and more durable than those of 

 hemp (H. M. Brakenridge). At Edinburgh it bore a temperature of 

 F. with impunity (Grorlie). 



