Medium Yucca Stump (Spineless Yucca)
*height measurements from the ground up
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The Spineless Yucca is the plant for anyone convinced they kill everything they touch. It comes through forgotten waterings, dim spells, and long stretches of being ignored, and still holds up its crisp fountain of stiff, sword-shaped leaves on a stout, woody trunk. It asks remarkably little of you.
That trunk is half the character, swollen and ridged at the base, which is what earned the plant its botanical name elephantipes, or "elephant's foot." The leaves above are deep green, leathery and tough, but tipped softly rather than sharply, so this is the one yucca that won't catch you the way the spiny garden kinds do. At a medium size it makes a sculptural statement, and it climbs slowly into a small indoor tree as the years go by.
Care
How big does a Spineless Yucca get? Indoors, a Spineless Yucca tends to settle around 6 feet (about 1.8 m) over many years, and taller still given enough time. This is a medium plant at roughly 2 to 3 feet (about 0.6 to 0.9 m), with plenty of growing ahead of it. It is a slow grower, so it earns its keep as a statement plant from day one rather than making you wait.
How much light does a Spineless Yucca need? Bright light suits a Spineless Yucca best, and it will happily take a few hours of direct sun on its leaves. Unusually for a yucca, it also tolerates more modest light, a hangover from its life beneath Central American trees rather than out in open desert. The brighter the spot, though, the more compact and upright it stays.
How often should I water a Spineless Yucca? Watering is the one place a Spineless Yucca can be fussed to death, and the trick is to do less. Let the top 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) of soil dry out completely before you water again, which usually means a drink every couple of weeks and far less in winter. Soggy roots are the only real threat to this plant, so when in doubt, leave it be.
Is the Spineless Yucca easy to care for? Few houseplants are as forgiving as the Spineless Yucca, which is much of its appeal. It puts up with missed waterings, swings in temperature, and varied light without complaint, and rarely troubles you with pests. Keep it out of constant wet soil and it is close to unkillable.
Does a Spineless Yucca need feeding? A Spineless Yucca is a light feeder that gets along on very little. Offer a balanced liquid fertilizer at half strength every four to six weeks through spring and summer, and nothing at all through fall and winter. Too much feed does more harm than too little here.
How do you propagate a Spineless Yucca? Propagating a Spineless Yucca is refreshingly simple. You can cut a section of the cane, let the cut end dry for a day or two, then pot it up, and the trunk left behind will sprout a fresh rosette of leaves. Alternatively, lift one of the offsets that form at the base and pot it on its own.
Can a Spineless Yucca go outside? Your Spineless Yucca is glad to spend the warm months outdoors on a balcony or patio, where the extra light does it good. It copes with a wide range of temperatures, far more than most houseplants. Here in the city it lives indoors for the year and comes back in well before the cold sets in.
Pet-friendly?
The Spineless Yucca is not pet-friendly, and its name is a little misleading on that score: "spineless" describes the soft leaf tips, not its safety. The leaves, trunk, and roots all hold saponins that are toxic to cats and dogs, so it belongs somewhere they cannot get a mouthful. If you share your home with a nibbler, our pet-friendly collection has safe plants with the same bold, upright shape.
Is the Spineless Yucca toxic to cats? The Spineless Yucca is toxic to cats. If a cat chews the leaves, the saponins can bring on drooling, vomiting, weakness, and dilated pupils, so it is safest kept up high and away from the spots cats use to launch themselves. The upset usually passes, but it is worth a vet call if your cat seems really unwell.
Is the Spineless Yucca safe for dogs? The Spineless Yucca is not safe for dogs. The same saponins cause drooling, an upset stomach, and low energy if a dog gnaws the leaves or trunk, and that sturdy trunk can look like a chew toy to some. A heavy, tall position a dog can't get at keeps the plant and the dog out of trouble.
Factoids
Why is it called the Spineless Yucca? The Spineless Yucca gets its name from its soft leaf tips, which set it apart from the rest of its family. Most yuccas end in genuinely sharp, spear-like points, the reason garden types carry nicknames like Spanish bayonet. This one's gentle tips are precisely why it became the yucca people are happy to live with indoors.
What is yucca used for besides decoration? Yucca has earned its keep for centuries across the Americas. The same saponins that make it mildly toxic also lather like soap, so its roots were long used for washing, and its tough leaf fibers were twisted into rope, baskets, and sandals. In its native Central America the flowers are even a traditional food, and this species' bloom, the izote, is the national flower of El Salvador.
Does a Spineless Yucca flower? A Spineless Yucca rarely flowers indoors, so think of any bloom as a happy surprise. Outdoors and with age, it sends up tall clusters of fragrant, creamy-white bells on a central spike. Inside, it is grown for its sculptural leaves and trunk, which carry the show on their own.
Buy a Spineless Yucca
A Spineless Yucca at this size carries a thick trunk and a full head of leaves, and the exact shape differs from one plant to the next. Hop on a free video shopping call and we will walk the greenhouse with you, hold a few up to the camera, and let you choose the trunk and crown you like best. Book your call here. Your yucca then travels home with our own driver in our own van, so it arrives steady and intact rather than jostled across the country in a box. This is a plant you will likely keep for many years, so let's pick you a good one.
Title (59): Medium Spineless Yucca (Yucca elephantipes) | Dahing Plants Meta (158): A tough, sculptural Spineless Yucca with soft-tipped sword leaves on an elephant-foot trunk. Near-unkillable, delivered by our own van. See it on a free call.
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