YuccaMost species lack a stem and have a rosette of
stiff, sword-shaped leaves at the base and clusters of waxy white flowers. The
Joshua tree (Y. brevifolia) has a stem more than 33 ft (10 m) high. Commonly
cultivated as ornamentals for their unusual appearance and attractive flower
clusters are the aptly named Spanish bayonet (Y. aloifolia), Spanish dagger (Y.
gloriosa), and Adam's needle, or bear grass (Y. filamentosa). Yucca moths
(genus Tegeticula) inhabit yucca bushes, and each moth species is adapted to a
particular yucca species. The yucca can be fertilized by no other insect, and
the moth can use no other plant to raise its larvae.
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| Yucca |
