Narrow Leaf Yucca (4)
Spanish Bayonet
Yucca harrimaniae
Family:Asparagus (Asparagaceae)
AKA:
Yucca, Narrow Leaf Yucca
Photo taken on:
June 30, 2008
Location:
Almont, CO
Life Zones:
Plains to foothills
Habitat:
Dry meadows and slopes
An evergreen shrub growing as a rosette of narrow, sharp-pointed, yellowish-green leaves with fibrous edges which are concave on top. The flower stem grows two to three feet tall. The large, waxy flowers open below the leaf tips to grow in a long, drooping cluster and are usually purplish-tinged.
Compare to Banana Yucca which is generally shorter and has broader leaves.
Flora of North America reference.
Family:Asparagus (Asparagaceae)
AKA:
Alpine Yucca, Bailey's Narrow Leaf Yucca
Photo taken on:
May 7, 2016
Location:
Poshuouinge, Santa Fe NF, Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones:
Plains to foothills
Habitat:
Dry woodlands and slopes
Very similar in appearance to the Spanish Bayonet with narrow, sharp-pointed, yellowish-green leaves with fibrous edges. It sometimes forms colonies of rosettes. The flower stem grows about 2 feet tall, arising below the leaf tips. The flowers have purplish bracts. Differentiated by geography, the more diminutive size of the plant, larger fruit and narrower leaves.
Flora of North America reference.
Family:Asparagus (Asparagaceae)
AKA:
Great Plains Yucca, Beargrass
Photo taken on:
June 30, 2019
Location:
CO SR 114, S of Cochetopa Pass
Life Zones:
Plains to foothills
Habitat:
Dry sandy soils, grasslands
Also has narrow, stiff leaves growing to 24" long. It forms colonies of up to 15 rosettes. The flower stem grows to over three feet tall, mostly within the leaves. The flowers are greenish white or cream. Primarily found east of the Continental Divide. Differentiated by geography and the taller growth pattern.
Flora of North America reference.
Fine-Leaf Yucca
Yucca angustissima
Family:Asparagus (Asparagaceae)
AKA:
Narrowleaf Yucca, Palmilla
Photo taken on:
June 1, 2021
Location:
FS Rd 84, Carson NF, Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones:
Plains to foothills
Habitat:
Sandy soils, desert shrub
Also has narrow, stiff leaves growing 6" to 24" long. It grows as a solitary rosette but sometimes forms colonies. The flower stem grows from three to six feet tall, flowers starting above the leaf tips. The flowers are greenish white or cream, similar in appearance to Spanish Bayonet and Navajo Yucca. Differentiated by flowers growing above the leaves and the taller growth pattern.
Flora of North America reference.