Re: Re(2): Category: Dumb Questions
Barry wrote:
>Up the street from my house, there is a house on the corner that has a
>Yucca growing right next to the sidewalk. This yucca has been there for as
>long as I can remember, and flowers every year. It seems to keep flowering
>from the main "trunk" (well at least I think it does.
I grow just a few - Y. recurvifolia, gloriosa, elephantiphes and
filamentosa. The first three are 'arborescent' forming fibrous, woody
trunks whereas filamentosa and its allies are stemless perennials.
The woody forms produce rosettes which flower with the leaves
subsequently dying away slowly over several years. However, the
'trunk' remains alive and new rosettes form at the base of each flower
spike enabling the plant to increase in overall size. The rhizome can
also send up new rosettes from buds which spring into life if the
trunks are cut down or damaged in any way.
The stemless forms send up new rosettes from the subterranean rhizome
after flowering, the old rosette taking a year or so to die away. As
a general rule of thumb, the softer the leaf, the shorter its life and
the sooner the flowered part becomes defoliated. The hard leaves of
Yucca glauca, aloifolia etc. can remain for quite a few years after
flowering - especially in cooler climates.
Dave Poole
TORQUAY UK
