Yucca baccata Spanish bayonet (Agavaceae) Evergreen shrub

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Yucca baccata
Spanish bayonet
Evergreen shrub
(1 Page of 5)

The Yucca baccata plant species is found in Southwestern N. America - Colorado to Texas, California and mexico. It is a member of the Agavaceae family. Common gardeners may know the plant as Spanish bayonet. Some home gardeners know the variety as Y. circinata

Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
Medicinal | Edible Uses

Latin Name:  Yucca baccata
Common Name:  Spanish bayonet
Family:  Agavaceae
Author:  Torr.

Known Hazards:  The roots contain saponins[222]. Whilst saponins are quite toxic to people, they are poorly absorbed by the body and so tend to pass straight through. They are also destroyed by prolonged heat, such as slow baking in an oven. Saponins are found in many common foods such as beans[K]. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish[K].

Mature Height:  0.9   Mature Width:

Habitat:  Dry slopes usually on rocky or sandy soils.

General Uses: A fibre obtained from the leaves is used for making ropes, baskets and mats[21, 46, 57, 85, 92, 94, 95]. The fibre can be braided into a good quality rope[257]. The leaves can be reduced into fibre and then made into cloth[257]. To obtain the fibre, the terminal spine and a section of the back of the leaf are removed and pounded to free the fibre from the fleshy portion of the leaf[257]. Another method of obtaining the fibre was to fold the leaves into sections about 10cm long. The leaves were then boiled with a small quantity of cedar ashes. When sufficiently cooked, the leaves were placed in a bowl or basket and cooled, then youths and young women would peel off the epidermis and chew the leaves, starting at one end and finishing at the other. After chewing the leaves, the fibres were separated, straightened out and hung to dry. When required for weaving, they would first be soaked in water to soften them[257]. The whole leaf is sometimes split into sections and then tied together by square knots to make a rope[92, 257]. The leaf can be used as a paint brush[92]. Leaf slivers are used, the end being pounded to reveal the fibres[257]. The leaves have also been used to make small brushes for pottery decoration[257]. The leaf is used in basket making[216, 257]. Small roots have been used in making baskets[257]. They have been used to produce a red pattern in baskets[257]. The leaves can be split and then woven into mats[257]. The leaves can be split and used as a temporary string[257]. The leaf fibre has been braided into ropes[257]. The terminal spines have been used as needles[257]. The dried leaves have been boiled with gum, hardened, ground into a powder then mixed with water and used to make baskets waterproof[257]. The roots are rich in saponins and can be used crushed and then soaked in water to release the suds for use as a soap[21, 85, 95, 216, 257]. It makes a good hair wash[85, 94, 257] and can also be used on the body and for washing clothes[257]. A soap can also be obtained from the leaves and stems[257].

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Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
Medicinal | Edible Uses

The information above has been supplied solely via the hard work and dedication of the team at 'Plants for a Future'.
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