Yucca and lookalikes

[chris.oz]

Hi,

This looks like a Yucca  but may be one of those other genera like Furcraea

It has glaucous leaves with sharp but not lethally sharp tips like some  Yuccas , develops a rather persistent shag, and the dead leaves are incredibly hard to remove.   It suckers from the base as in the shade grown second image.  When grown in full sun as in the first image it has a handsome appearance.

[chris.oz]

Here is the shade version.  I think they are the same species,  but grown in dry  shade appear much more lax and seem to be more prone to sucker.

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

Chris...I think It's Furcraea Roezlii(longeava, beddinghausii, etc) Though I've never seen one sucker.

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

Furcraeas usually have a sandpaper feel to the leaves...

[Zac in NC]

No, it looks like something in the Yucca gloriosa-recurvifolia group. They hybridise readily and since its cultivated, it gets harder.

Zac

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

(Zac in NC @ Apr. 16 2007,19:54)

QUOTE

No, it looks like something in the Yucca gloriosa-recurvifolia group. They hybridise readily and since its cultivated, it gets harder.

Zac

Maybe on the second shot, Zac...but I'd have to wrestle you on the first one. If the leaves are smooth and not sandpapery, then it's a yucca. And if it's a yucca, I'd guess Elephantipes, not Gloriosa.

[Tad]

will this wrestling match be in a steel cage? a kiddie pool of jello,or oil?

will y'all be wearing masks ala luche libre in  mexico?

[Zac in NC]

Well, I'd wrestle you for it. I've felt some rough feeling gloriosas and recurves before. Its really sort of hard to tell from the pics. I hate trying to ID them, when I can't touch them for myself and examine them closely.

Zac

[Tad]

who gets the folding chair? will somone get their head shaved over the deal?

[Zac in NC]

LOL, I don't think  anyone else on here is in my weight class.  LOL, what class is 120 pounds?

Zac

[Tad]

mmmmmmm i dont think weight matters, look at those little tiny (little people) wrestlers, they fight the big guys all the time!! AHHHH sunday morning tv in mexico.

as long as you keep moving zac and are not afraid to hit steve with a 2x4, metal folding chair, or drape a giant snake over him you might have a chance.

[chris.oz]

(palmotrafficante @ Apr. 16 2007,23:57)

QUOTE

will this wrestling match be in a steel cage? a kiddie pool of jello,or oil?

will y'all be wearing masks ala luche libre in  mexico?

Thanks guys ,

:laugh:

Very funny !

Negative on the Y. elephantipes. They are not spiky on the end of the leaves ..... and not glaucous to the same extent.

The 1.5" diameter brown suckers come up like the end of a cucumber,  and sit at soil level waiting to burst out.

I will check the feel of the leaves.

[Zac in NC]

(palmotrafficante @ Apr. 17 2007,00:14)

QUOTE

mmmmmmm i dont think weight matters, look at those little tiny (little people) wrestlers, they fight the big guys all the time!! AHHHH sunday morning tv in mexico.

as long as you keep moving zac and are not afraid to hit steve with a 2x4, metal folding chair, or drape a giant snake over him you might have a chance.

I'm not afraid of snakes, I am pretty nimble. Come on Steve. I might throw some of those smoking pellets at you, or use a pork shoulder to hit you with.

Elephantipes has serrations on the margins, a la aloifolia.

Zac

[Kris]

Dear Guys  

those stills are fabulous.and chris & Steve you guys are creating a heavenly garden with all the heavenly bodies in them_here the bodies reference to your yuccos,agaves &

palms.

and as days go by iam realising one thing here is that,all who love and grow palms.these guys grow cactus,yuccos,agaves

and phoenix Sp...

our taste all seem similar to me.and i must thank the board for starting such a site where people like us meet and have the oppurtunity to see some of the exocitic plants varities from around the world.

Thank you guys !

Love,

Kris(India)  

[chris.oz]

(STEVE IN SO CAL @ Apr. 16 2007,18:50)

QUOTE

Chris...I think It's Furcraea Roezlii(longeava, beddinghausii, etc) Though I've never seen one sucker.

As a matter of interest Steve, after a time those Agave inflors in your photo will develop  little baby ones... maybe you know that.  Its just that a guy gave me an inflor  and I propagated over 200 Agaves from it,  without having to plant a seed !

[Paul S]

I'd say Yucca recurvifolia.  Furcraea parmetieri doesn't sucker, in the normal course of events.  The sharp tip also indicates a yucca as the leaf tip of furcraea doesn't actualy harden into a spine.  If my memory serves, the yucca will have minute teeth/ serrations along the leaf margin, whereas a furcraea is smooth - but I'd need to go outside and check first.

[chris.oz]

(Paul S @ Apr. 17 2007,04:30)

QUOTE

I'd say Yucca recurvifolia.  Furcraea parmetieri doesn't sucker, in the normal course of events.  The sharp tip also indicates a yucca as the leaf tip of furcraea doesn't actualy harden into a spine.  If my memory serves, the yucca will have minute teeth/ serrations along the leaf margin, whereas a furcraea is smooth - but I'd need to go outside and check first.

Indeed the Yucca elephantipes has the finest serrations,  

But the plant I am trying to ID has smooth edges, and is smooth on the top of the leaf, but like very fine sandpaper underneath.

The leaf tips are sharp but not "hardened into a spine"  in the sens of spanish bayonet or agave americana.

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

DOUGH !!!   The wrestling match was called before it even started. Sounds like a Furcraea to me....

Lucky for you Zac...my 240 lbs of rippling muscle would have destroyed you faster than an agave snout weevil attacking an Agave Americana Medio Picta. Alls that would be left of you...a pile of mush. (how's my trash talkin?)

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

(chris.oz @ Apr. 17 2007,02:50)

QUOTE

(STEVE IN SO CAL @ Apr. 16 2007,18:50)

QUOTE

Chris...I think It's Furcraea Roezlii(longeava, beddinghausii, etc) Though I've never seen one sucker.

As a matter of interest Steve, after a time those Agave inflors in your photo will develop  little baby ones... maybe you know that.  Its just that a guy gave me an inflor  and I propagated over 200 Agaves from it,  without having to plant a seed !

Chris...unfortunately, they don't always bulbil. I've seen them barren of seed AND bulbils. This biggun should flower soon, and I'd love to get a few hundred variegated ones.....

[chris.oz]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ :laugh:

I have made quite a lot of money out of my Agave bulbils when at smaller sizes, at car boot sales.   Now some of the agaves are getting to 3 ft in diameter, its time to go on EBay !

Steve, Has your variagated one produced any pups ?

Whats the going rate compared with a similar sized standard one ?  1.5X,  2X ??

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

I've seen them go for over $500 on ebay. My big one is the goose that lays the golden egg(s). Propagate...propagate....propagate...

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

Paul...I think the plant in the second pick may be a yucca. Looks different than the first. I'd wrestle you over it, but you're a big boy...I only pick on 120 lb youngsters...

[Zac in NC]

(STEVE IN SO CAL @ Apr. 17 2007,09:59)

QUOTE

DOUGH !!!   The wrestling match was called before it even started. Sounds like a Furcraea to me....

Lucky for you Zac...my 240 lbs of rippling muscle would have destroyed you faster than an agave snout weevil attacking an Agave Americana Medio Picta. Alls that would be left of you...a pile of mush. (how's my trash talkin?)

I still don't think its a Furcraea. It STILL looks like a Yucca. I might just grab up an Agave xylonacantha clump and fight you with it. How's that for playing dirty. Or perhaps I'll push you down the hill into an Agave montana. Eeeeek.

Zac

[Paul S]

I still think the first one is a yucca but, as I am a coward, won't argue with anyone.

Got some nice habitat shots of Furcraea parmentieri sent to me by one of my travel companions yesterday - my camera developed a temporary glitch that afternoon, which was irritating.  I'll get around to re-sizing and posting some at some point - gorgeous plants...

[chris.oz]

We need to be careful with the difference in appearance of plants grown in full sun, and in dry shade.

I will check out the leaves to see if they are different .................they certainly have wildly different growth habits.  Those in the sun look much better !

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

(Paul S @ Apr. 18 2007,03:38)

QUOTE

I still think the first one is a yucca but, as I am a coward, won't argue with anyone.

Got some nice habitat shots of Furcraea parmentieri sent to me by one of my travel companions yesterday - my camera developed a temporary glitch that afternoon, which was irritating.  I'll get around to re-sizing and posting some at some point - gorgeous plants...

I have about 6 in my garden. Will try and post pics.

[Zac in NC]

(chris.oz @ Apr. 18 2007,04:33)

QUOTE

We need to be careful with the difference in appearance of plants grown in full sun, and in dry shade.

I will check out the leaves to see if they are different .................they certainly have wildly different growth habits.  Those in the sun look much better !

That is perfectly normal. I have seen them like that on NCSU's campus is a heavily shaded location, and if growing in full sun, they do look completely different.

Paul- I am glad you are on my side too. I'm a coward too, but I do usually speak my mind when it comes to Plant ID things like this. I am usually firm once I state an ID.

Zac

[chris.oz]

On inspection both the full sun and shade grown plants appear to have identical leaves,  fine sandpaper [ scales] underneath and glaucous above.   However,  the sun grown one has sharp points on the leaves.  I suspect the sun has a role in hardening the points off.

[DavePoole]

Chris, almost definitely (95% certain) Yucca recurvifolia.  It is quite often planted around here as are other S.E. Yuccas and Furcraea palmieteri (aka bedinghausii etc.). Your pics are entirely consistent with Y. recurvifolia grown in full sun or shade.  The Yucca readily produces suckers from the rhizome and along the stem as well as branching out immediately after flowering.  I've never seen Furcraea produce any offsets along the 'trunk' and come to think of it, only once seen a basal offset after flowering.

[chris.oz]

(DavePoole @ Apr. 19 2007,03:28)

QUOTE

Chris, almost definitely (95% certain) Yucca recurvifolia.  It is quite often planted around here as are other S.E. Yuccas and Furcraea palmieteri (aka bedinghausii etc.). Your pics are entirely consistent with Y. recurvifolia grown in full sun or shade.  The Yucca readily produces suckers from the rhizome and along the stem as well as branching out immediately after flowering.  I've never seen Furcraea produce any offsets along the 'trunk' and come to think of it, only once seen a basal offset after flowering.

Dave,

Sure looks like it from the PIX on the internet.   I will read up on the description to confirm a match.

Funny,  I thought Los Americanos would get it,  not some guy in Devon.......

But  hey you were [ are]  a professional plantsman werent you !

[nomolos]

Furcraea longaeva is my guess

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

Not if the tips are sharp....geez, have I been whooped by a 120 lb teenager?

[nomolos]

Yucca recurvifolia - if tips are sharp

[DavePoole]

Dave,

Sure looks like it from the PIX on the internet.   I will read up on the description to confirm a match.  Funny,  I thought Los Americanos would get it,  not some guy in Devon.......

But  hey you were [ are]  a professional plantsman werent you !

Was is the operative word Chris.  I grew lots of recurvifolia commercially and know it very well.  It is one of the easiest to prop once you have stocks with reasonable 'trunks'.  Also, a lot of garden plants found their way to Oz via English settlers who wanted to bring their bit of England with them.  Although Yucca recurvifolia is native to the SE of the USA, together with Y. gloriosa it was very popular and widely planted over here in the mid- late 18 - 19th. century.  It almost certainly came to the 'antipodes' during that time.

[Zac in NC]

(chris.oz @ Apr. 19 2007,06:29)

QUOTE

(DavePoole @ Apr. 19 2007,03:28)

QUOTE

Chris, almost definitely (95% certain) Yucca recurvifolia.  It is quite often planted around here as are other S.E. Yuccas and Furcraea palmieteri (aka bedinghausii etc.). Your pics are entirely consistent with Y. recurvifolia grown in full sun or shade.  The Yucca readily produces suckers from the rhizome and along the stem as well as branching out immediately after flowering.  I've never seen Furcraea produce any offsets along the 'trunk' and come to think of it, only once seen a basal offset after flowering.

Dave,

Sure looks like it from the PIX on the internet.   I will read up on the description to confirm a match.

Funny,  I thought Los Americanos would get it,  not some guy in Devon.......

But  hey you were [ are]  a professional plantsman werent you !

Chris- I believe I called it Foist. I am Los Americanos, and a SE one too.

(STEVE IN SO CAL · Posted on Apr. 19 2007 @ 09:17)

QUOTE

Not if the tips are sharp....geez, have I been whooped by a 120 lb teenager?

I think I won the cage match, Steve. Sorry.

Zac

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

DOUGH!!!

Beaten by my arch nemesis again-.-.-EL FLACO LIBRE  

[chris.oz]

Yes Zac, you did call it first, so far back in the thread I had almost forgotten it !

Thanks everybody.  Plant ID can be fun!

[Zac in NC]

Its ok Chris. See, you were distracted by the wrestling match that was going on. I was a lot smaller than my opponent, but I am faster. Steve, you may be stronger, but victory was fine. Hahahaha.

Zac

[chris.oz]

Virtual wrestling in cyberspace,   funny, and very visual.

[Zac in NC]

Yeah, its funny. Another reason I love this board. I can have fun on it like this. I hate being serious all the time.

Zac