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44. Spanish Bayonet 

 Yucca elephantipes 



The white or cream-colored bell-shaped flowers of the Spanish 

 bayonet constitute one of the most popular vegetables of Central 

 America. They are very good when fried with eggs, or they 

 may be eaten raw in salads. The stiff, short-trunked plants 

 with spine-tipped leaves are common throughout most of Central 

 America where they are chiefly planted but sometimes are 

 found growing wild. The Spanish bayonet is called yucca or 

 palmito in Panama, itabo in Costa Rica, and izote in northern 

 Central America. 



