Yucca whipplei Our Lord's candle (Agavaceae) Evergreen shrub

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Yucca whipplei
Our Lord's candle
Evergreen shrub
(1 Page of 5)

The Yucca whipplei plant species is found in Southwestern N. America - S. California, Mexico. It is a member of the Agavaceae family. Common gardeners may know the plant as Our Lord's candle. Some home gardeners know the variety as Y. funifera. Hesperoyucca funifera. Hesperoyucca whipplei.

Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
Medicinal | Edible Uses

Latin Name:  Yucca whipplei
Common Name:  Our Lord's candle
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:  2   Mature Width:  1

Habitat:  Dry, grassy and often stony slopes to 1200 metres[84].

Edible Uses: Fruit - raw or cooked. Flowers - raw or cooked[46, 61, 84]. They are delicious raw, and can also be dried, crushed and used as a flavouring[84, 164]. Young flowers have been parboiled and eaten, whilst older flowers have been boiled in three lots of water before being eaten[257]. This suggests the flowers are quite bitter[K]. Flowering stem - raw or cooked[161]. It is best used when fully grown, but before the flower buds expand[95]. It can be peeled, cut into sections then cooked and used like asparagus[95, 164]. The roasted stems have been dried, ground into a powder then mixed with water to make cakes[257]. Seed - cooked. It can be ground into a powder or cooked and used as a gruel[46, 61, 161].

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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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