When trimmed and polished, they are sold as curios called “desert spoons.” In some portions of the desert near large cities, exploitation of the plants for this purpose has endangered the species and aroused the ire of conservationists.
The cabbage-like base, after the leaves are removed, is split and fed to livestock as an emergency ration during periods of drought.
The rounded heads of these plants are high in sugar which is dissolved in the sap of the bud stalk. This sap, when gathered and fermented, produces a potent beverage called “sotol,” which is the “bootleg” of northern Mexico.
CREAM
Common Names: NARROW-LEAF YUCCA, (PALMILLA), OUR-LORD’S-CANDLE, SPANISH-DAGGER, SOAPWEED, SPANISH-BAYONET Arizona and Texas deserts: (Yucca elata). Creamy. May-July. California desert: (Yucca whipplei). Creamy-white. May-June. Lily family. Clumps 8-12 feet; Y. elata sometimes to 20 feet.
CREAM
The Narrow-leaf Yuccas are frequently confused with the Agaves (Century plant), Dasylirion (Sotol), and Nolinas (Beargrass) but may readily be recognized by the fibers protruding from the margins of the leaves. To permit comparison and bring out the differences so that the four groups may be recognized and confusion avoided, sketches of all four appear on the same plate ([p. 21]).
In many grassland areas of western Texas and southern New Mexico, Y. elata dominates the landscape for miles. This species has been used as emergency rations for range stock during periods of drought, the chopped stems being mixed with concentrates such as cottonseed meal. A substitute for jute has been made from the leaf fibers. Indians eat the young flower stalks, which grow rapidly and are relatively tender.
In its relationship with a moth of the genus Pronuba, the Yucca illustrates one of Nature’s interesting partnerships. The moth, which visits the Yucca flowers at night, lays her eggs in the ovary of a flower where the larvae will feed upon the developing seeds. But to be sure that the seeds do develop, the moth must place pollen on the stigma of the flower. Dependent upon the moth for this vital act of pollenization, the Yucca repays its winged benefactor by sacrificing some of its developing seeds as food for the moth’s larvæ. Fruits of the Narrow-leaf are dry capsules in contrast to the fleshy fruits of the Broad-leaf Yuccas.