Common names include spineless yucca, soft-tip yucca, blue-stem yucca, giant yucca, yucca cane, and itabo. Its flower, the izote, is the national flower of El Salvador.
Description
Yucca gigantea is usually less than in height. It may have a thick, single trunk or be multitrunked resulting from a thickened, inflated, trunk-like lower base similar to an elephant's foot. The exceptionally narrow leaves fan out in clumps. They are strap-like, spineless and up to in length. White flowers are produced in the summer. Mature plants produce erect spikes of pendent flowers up to in length. Flowers are followed by brown, fleshy fruits which are oval and up to long.
Taxonomy
The French botanist Charles Lemaire published the name Yucca gigantea in November 1859. This is the name used by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families as of 2014, although other sources use Yucca guatemalensis, published by Baker in 1872. The species is still most widely known in the horticultural literature as Yucca elephantipes. The first mention of that name was by the German horticulturalist Eduard von Regel in February 1859. He claimed that a different species, Y. aloifolia, was sometimes known as Y. elephantipes when grown in European gardens because of its thickened stem base. However, since he did not intend to offer Y. elephantipes as the actual correct name, this was not a valid publication. In a major article on yuccas and allies in 1902, the American botanist William Trelease also used the name Y. elephantipes, referring to Regel's 1859 publication. This came too late though, as Y. gigantea had by then already been established. Y. elephantipes must therefore be regarded as an illegitimate name, according to the strict rules of the ICN,
Distribution
Yucca gigantea is found natively in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the eastern part of Mexico. It is also reportedly naturalized in Puerto Rico, the Leeward Islands and Ecuador.
Cultivation
The species can be grown in a variety of soils and is drought-tolerant. Young plants are occasionally used as houseplants. However the species grows best in a hot semi-arid climate, so plants are subject to root rot if overwatered. Older plants are generally the most susceptible. For this reason young, shorter trees are superior houseplants as they are more adaptable to environmental changes. Yucca gigantea can be affected by a number of pests including scale, yucca moth borers, and yucca weevils. Leaf spot may affect the appearance of the leaves, but it does not affect the health of the plant. Propagation is by suckers, cuttings or seed. This species has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.
Uses
The flower petals are commonly eaten in Central America, but its reproductive organs are first removed because of their bitterness. The petals are blanched for 5 minutes, and then cooked a la mexicana or in tortitas con salsa. In Guatemala, they are boiled and eaten with lemon juice. In El Salvador, the tender tips of stems are eaten, and known locally as cogollo de izote.
