Y U C 
EW-TREE. SeeTAXus. 
YUCCA. Dillen. Gen. Nov. 5. Lin. Gen. 
Plant. 388. Cordyline. Roy. Lug. Prod. 22. 
The Indian Yucca, or Adam’s Needle. 
The Characters are, 
f he flower has no empalement •, it has a bell-Jhaped flower , 
compofed of fix large petals whofe tails are joined , and fix 
fioort reflexed flamina terminated by fmall fummits , and 
an oblong three-cornered germen which is longer than the 
flamina , having no ftyle, crowned by an obtufe ftigma 
with three furrows. The germen afterward turns to an 
oblong three-cornered capfule divided into three cells , filled 
with comprejfed feeds , lying over each other in a double ar- 
rangement. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fettion of 
Linnaeus’s fixth clafs, which includes thefe plants 
whofe flowers have fix flamina and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
t. Yucca ( Gloriofa ) foliis integerrimis. Vir. Cliff. 29. 
Yucca with entire leaves. Yucca foliis Aloes. C. B. P. 
9 1 . Yucca with leaves like thofe of the Aloe , commonly 
called Adam's Needle. 
2. Yucca ( Aloifolia ) foliis crenulatis ftrittis. Lin. Sp. 
Plant. 319. Yucca with narrow leaves which are flightly 
crenated. Yucca arborefcens, foliis rigidioribus reft is 
ferratis. Dill. Hort. Elth. 435. Tree-like Yucca with 
flrait, ftiff, fawed leaves. 
3. Yucca {fDraconis) foliis crenatis nutantibus. Lin. Sp. 
Plant. 319. Yucca with nodding crenated leaves. Yucca 
draconis folio ferrato. Hort. Elth. 437. Yucca with a 
fazved Dragon-tree leaf. 
4. Yucca ( Filamentofa ) foliis ferrato-filamentofis. Lin. 
Sp. Plant, ‘gig. Yucca with flawed thready leaves. Yucca 
foliis filamentofis. Mor. Hift. 2. p. 419. Thready- 
leaved Yucca. 
The firft of thefe plants is a native of Virginia, and 
other parts of North America, but has been long an 
inhabitant of the Englifh gardens, where it was for- 
merly nurfed up in green-houfes, fuppofing it was too 
tender to live in the open air in winter ; but of late 
years the plants have been planted into the full 
ground, where they have refitted the greateft cold of 
our winters where they are in a dry foil. 
This fort feldom rifes with a ftem above two feet and 
a half or three feet high, which is garnifhed with leaves 
aim oft to the ground. The leaves of this are broad, 
ftiff, and have the appearance of thofe of the Aloe, 
but are narrower •, they are of a dark green colour, 
ending in a lharp black fpine. This fort frequently 
produces its panicles of flowers, which rife from the 
center of the leaves. The ftalks grow three feet high •, 
they branch out on every fide to a confiderable dif- 
tance, but the flowers are placed very fparfedly on the 
ftalks, which renders it lefs beautiful than the flowers 
of the other kinds •, they are white within, but eqch 
petal is marked with a purple ftripe on the outfide •, 
they are bell-lhaped, and hang downward ; they ap- 
pear in Auguft and September, but are not fucceeded 
by feeds in England. 
The fecond fort rifes with a thick, tough, fleftiy ftalk, 
to the height of ten or twelve feet, having a head or 
tuft of leaves at the top •, thefe are narrower and differ 
than thofe of the former for , and are of a lighter 
green colour •, their edges are flightly fawed, and their 
points end with lharp thorns. The flower-ftalk rifes 
f n the center of the leaves, and is from two to three 
feet long, branching out into a pyramidal form. The 
‘flowers grow clofe on the branches, and form a regu- 
Y U C 
V 
lar fpike ; they are of a bright purple colour on the 
outfide, and white within, making a fine appearance. 
The flowers appear at the fame time with the former, 
but the plants of this do not flower fo often as the 
other fort •, and when they flower, the head decays, 
but one or two young heads come out from the fide 
of the ftalk, below the old one. 
The third fort grows naturally in South Carolina, from 
whence I received the feeds by the title of Oil Seed. 
The ftalks of this fort rife about three or four feet 
high ; the leaves are narrow, of a dark green colour, 
and hang downward •, they are fawed on their edges, 
and end in acute fpines. I never faw the flowers of 
this fort, but have been informed they are white. 
The threaded fort is not fo common as the others in the 
Englilh gardens, but as it is a native of Virginia, it 
might ealily be procured in plenty from thence. The 
ftalk and leaves are like thofe of the firft fort, but the 
leaves are obtufe, and have no fpines at their ends. 
The flower-ftalk rifes five or fix feet high, which is ge- 
nerally garnifhed with flowers moft of its length ; the 
flowers are larger and whiter than thofe of the other 
fpecies, and fit clofe to the ftalk. From the fide of the 
leaves come out long threads which hang down. 
All thefe plants are either propagated by feed, when 
obtained from abroad, or elfe from offsets or heads 
taken from the old plants, after the manner of Aloes. 
When they are raifed from feeds, they fhould be fown 
in pots filled with light frefh earth, and plunged into 
a moderate hot-bed, where the plants will come up in 
five or fix weeks after; and when they are two or three 
inches high, they fhould be tranfplanted each into a 
feparate fmall pot filled with light frefh earth, and 
plunged into a hot-bed, where the plants fhould have 
air and water in proportion to the warmth of the fea- 
fon, and the bed wherein they are placed. 
In July they fhould be inured by degrees to bear the 
open air, into which they muft be removed, to harden 
them before winter, placing them in a well fhekercd 
fituation, where they may remain until the beginning 
of October, when they muft be removed into the 
green-houfe, where tney may be ranged amoogft 
the hardier fort of Aloes, and fhould be treated in 
the fame manner as hath been already di retted for 
them ; to which the reader is defired to turn, for fur- 
ther inftruttions. 
When thefe plants have acquired ftrength, thofe of 
the common fort, and alfo the threaded, may be af- 
terwards turned out into a warm border, where they 
will endure the cold of our ordinary winters very well, 
but the other forts muft be kept in pots, that they 
may be fheltered in winter ; and if they are treated in 
the fame way as the large American Aloe, they will 
do very well. 
The offsets taken from the old plants fhould be laid 
in a dry place, for a week or ten days before they 
are planted, that their wounds may heal, otherwife 
they will be fubjeft'to rot with moifture. 
As the fecond and third forts do not put out offsets fo 
plentifully as the firft and fourth, fo in order to pro- 
pagate them, the heads of the plants may be cut off 
in June ; and after the wounded part is dry, the heads 
may be planted, which will foon take root, provided 
the pots are plunged into a moderate hot-bed ; and 
this cutting off the heads will occafion the Items to 
put out fuckers, which they' feldom do without until 
they flower ; fo that by this method, the plants may 
be obtained in plenty, 
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