Spanish Bayonet

Text & Photos by Janice Broda

May 2011 Plant of the Month

Creamy white flowers now bloom atop the aptly named Spanish bayonet (Yucca aloifolia).  Its  dark green bayonet-like leaves are stiff and very sharp tipped.

Spanish bayonets can be found growing very near to the beach, and this suckering plant often forms extensive colonies.  These distinctive plants can grow to be more than ten feet tall.

Its dramatic terminal clusters of 3-petaled pendulous flowers can be up to two feet tall.  Inidiuval flowes are about two inches in size and sometimes tinged with a tiny bit of dark purple when viewed up close.  The flowers are edible and can be used to adorn salads or deep-fried into ‘potato chips’.

Its green fruits also are edible, and wildlife including deer, squirrels, and birds spreads the fruits.  Mockingbirds reportedly especially relish its fruits.

This plant is in the Agavaceae (Agave) family.  Its genus name Yucca is the native Haitian name that Linnaeus used for this group of plants.  Its species name aloifolia references the its resemblance the related aloe plant.