Texas Red Yucca

— A few years ago, we decided to do a major change in our yard. Instead of grass, we began replacing that with native plants. One of the plants we added to our front yard was the Texas Red Yucca.

Texas Red Yucca (Yucca rupicola), also known as Adam’s needle, is a spiky succulent plant native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It is a member of the agave family and can grow up to 6 feet (1.82 m) tall. As you can see in the first photo in this post, the leaves are long and narrow, with sharp spines along the edges. The flowers are red or yellow and bloom in spring or summer. It is a very common drought-tolerant plant that we use in Austin and Central Texas. These plants can survive in hot, dry climates, and are also fire-resistant. Native Americans used this type of yucca for a variety of purposes, including food, medicine, and fiber for baskets.

This perennial plant is also a magnet for pollinators, such as bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. If you look at the small and fragrant flowers it produces, it is easy to understand why pollinators like it. The following set of macro photos shows different stages from budding to full flowers. Click on each image for its full size and more macro details. It is interesting to note that even in the strongest of summers, such as the one we are experiencing currently (at the time I write this, we have had 41 consecutive days of temperatures over 100 F, or 38 C). The middle photo shows some buds beginning to emerge, while in the background, you can also see a fruit opening up. That photo was made just yesterday (August 16).

In the same long stems where one sees flowers, we can also find fruit. Inside the fruit or pod, you can see the seeds after they dry up. According to Urban Organic Yield, “almost the whole red yucca plant may be eaten—stems, leaf bases, flowers, developing stalks, and fruit are all edible” to humans.

Here is another set of macro photos showing the progression from a green to a dry fruit exposing the seeds inside. If you click on the small images, you can examine more details from these macro shots. In the first image below, there are remnants of the flowers that were once blooming.

The Texas Red Yucca is a beautiful and important plant that is well-adapted to its environment. It is a valuable addition to any garden or landscape. It is widely used in xeriscaping in this area.

This post is my entry to Denzil Nature‘s call for his Nature Photo Challenge #25: Seedheads.