Banana Yucca
Yucca baccata
A rugged native yucca bearing dramatic white blooms and fleshy banana-shaped fruit once prized by indigenous peoples.
Very cold hardy into the single digits °F, USDA 9-11; a low- and mid-desert Southwest native.
AMWUA Notes
Native and extremely drought tolerant; edible-fruited and needs no irrigation once established.
Care Guide
Established plants need little to no water; water a young plant monthly its first summer only.
Remove dead outer leaves and spent flower stalks; leave the low rosette otherwise untouched.
Not necessary in native soil.
Very tough and essentially pest-free.
Very cold hardy into the single digits °F; white spring blooms rely on the yucca moth and give way to edible banana-shaped fruit.
Soil, Feeding & Propagation
Fast-draining decomposed granite or rocky desert soil; lean
Needs sharp, fast-draining soil.
None — thrives in lean desert soil without fertilizer.
Seed or division of offsets
4 ft
Non-invasive roots; stiff sword-like leaves end in sharp tips, so keep off walkways
Placement Tips
- •Use in native, edible or specimen plantings.
- •The stiff sword-like leaves end in sharp tips, so keep off walkways and away from children.
- •Give it 4 ft of room.
- •Plant in fast-draining granite.
Features
Best Uses
Ecological Value
Attracts
Companion Plants
Quick Stats
Design Styles
Include in Your Project
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Use this care guide to maintain your Banana Yucca. Questions about your landscape? Reach out anytime.
Data from 2024 AMWUA “Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert” guide.