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Asparagaceae (Agaves and Yuccas) 21 images Created 29 Apr 2013

A collection of wild native North American wildflowers photographed in their natural environment belonging to the agave and yucca family: Asparagaceae.
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  • The Joshua tree, symbol of the Mojave desert, reaches out into the blue early April sky. One reason it is believed that this iconic yucca is losing habitat, and declining in numbers is in the fossil record of the recent extinction (in geological years) of the Shasta ground sloth, one of the giant sloths that went the way of the mammoths and other American megafauna. Fossilized scat shows the remains of the seeds, leaves and pulp of joshua trees... and was possibly in a loose symbiotic relationship with it as to provide food in return for seed propagation.
    Joshua Tree
  • A Spanish dagger in full flower! While there seems to be a bit of botanical classification confusion at the time of writing this whether the genus "Yucca" belongs to the Asparagaceae or Agavaceae family of plants, one thing is for sure - this very beautiful and very spiky plant can reach to over 30 feet tall, and the spiky leaves are so sharp, that when the Spanish conquered many parts of the New World and build forts, the Conquistadors planted walls walls of these to help fortify their defenses against attack. Native to Texas, New Mexico and Northern Mexico, the Spanish dagger is also locally common in Southwest Florida. This one was photographed in South Texas near Weslaco in Hidalgo County.
    Spanish Dagger (Yucca treculeana)
  • A Mojave yucca in Southern California's Mojave desert shows already blossomed, flowers, closed flowers, and new buds late in the afternoon.
    Mojave Yucca
  • A common yucca of the Chihuahuan desert, the soapweed yucca is and was a significantly important plant for the Native American tribes inhabiting the area where it is found. A common yucca of the Chihuahuan desert, the soapweed yucca's fibrous leaves were used use to make belts, cloth, baskets, cords and mats, the roots were used to make a natural soap - hence the common name.
    Soaptree Yucca
  • This Chihuahua Desert native agave is about to go into flower! Not a large agave, the slimfoot century plant ranges in size from one to three feet in width, but it's flowering stalk can reach an impressive 15 feet by the time the flowers are ready to be pollinated!!
    Slimfoot Century Plant
  • This Mojave yucca is about to burst into an amazing bouquet of flowers in Joshua Tree National Park in the late morning sunlight of gorgeous April day.
    Mojave Yucca
  • Closeup of the flowers of the Mojave yucca in the late afternoon golden light in Southern California. These flowers are pollinated at night by the Yucca moth (Tegeticula yuccasella), a species that depends on this plant for its survival. Not only will the moth  gather pollen, but she will lay her eggs in the ovaries of the flowers, and the larvae will feed directly on the developing fruit of the flowers, leaving some of the seeds to mature for the next generation of yucca plants.
    Mojave Yucca Flowers
  • Considered to be one of the desert's oldest living plants, a mature Joshua tree is believed to be between 150-300 years old, and one specimen that reached a height of a whopping 60 feet was believed to have been about 1000 years old! This much younger one was photographed in Southern California's Mojave Desert.
    Joshua Tree
  • A Spanish dagger getting ready to flower! While there seems to be a bit of botanical classification confusion at the time of writing this whether the genus "Yucca" belongs to the Asparagaceae or Agavaceae family of plants, one thing is for sure - this very beautiful and very spiky plant can reach to over 30 feet tall, and the spiky leaves are so sharp, that when the Spanish conquered many parts of the New World and build forts, the Conquistadors planted walls walls of these to help fortify their defenses against attack. Native to Texas, New Mexico and Northern Mexico, the Spanish dagger is also locally common in Southwest Florida. This one was photographed in South Texas near Weslaco in Hidalgo County.
    Spanish Dagger (Yucca treculeana)
  • Early morning photograph of a native Mojave yucca in its natural habitat on a cool spring morning in Mojave Desert in Southern California. These are often found growing among the Mojave's iconic Joshua trees - another member of the same genus.
    Mojave Yucca
  • The beautiful soapweed yucca  in full summertime bloom growing in northwestern Colorado.
    Soapweed Yucca
  • Probably the most famous Southwest American yucca, the Joshua tree has been a symbol of various religions and cultures for thousands of years. This one was photographed inside of Joshua Tree National Park in southern California, although I've seen them growing in great abundance in both Southern Nevada and Northwestern Arizona.
    Joshua Tree
  • Photographed slightly from above, this Mojave yucca in the Mojave desert was historically a very important resource for the Native Americans who lived here. The tough yet pliable fibers in the leaves (needles) after beating them to break them apart were braided together to make rope, sandals, and woven together to make cloth.
    Mojave Yucca
  • The Joshua tree is the king of the Mojave desert. Reaching upward to 30'-40' tall, it is also losing habitat quickly. Luckily a few healthy and dense pockets still exist in Southern California such as these in the Joshua Tree National Park.
    Joshua Tree
  • These ripe fruits of the Joshua tree range in size from 2-4 inches, and are clustered on the tall flower "spikes" that can be from 12-60 inches from the center of the rosette where new leaves form. These were photographed from below with a nice morning golden light in the Mojave Desert in Southern California.
    Fruit of the Joshua Tree
  • This beautiful medium-sized agave is found in the Chihuahuan desert of New Mexico, Texas and Northern Mexico and has wide green-grey leaves with uneven sharp serrations. Found in variable habitats such as desert scrub to pinyon woodlands, this group was found in the Guadalupe Mountains in NW Texas near the New Mexico border.
    Slimfoot Century Plant
  • A Spanish dagger in full flower! While there seems to be a bit of botanical classification confusion at the time of writing this whether the genus "Yucca" belongs to the Asparagaceae or Agavaceae family of plants, one thing is for sure - this very beautiful and very spiky plant can reach to over 30 feet tall, and the spiky leaves are so sharp, that when the Spanish conquered many parts of the New World and build forts, the Conquistadors planted walls walls of these to help fortify their defenses against attack. Native to Texas, New Mexico and Northern Mexico, the Spanish dagger is also locally common in Southwest Florida. This one was photographed in South Texas near Weslaco in Hidalgo County.
    Spanish Dagger (Yucca treculeana)
  • There are a couple places in the American Southwest where you can see the Joshua tree in large numbers. This one was photographed in Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California.
    Joshua Tree
  • Close-up of the flowers of the largest yuccas in Western Texas, the giant dagger yucca (Yucca faxoniana). Blooming in April, it can grow to over 20 feet tall and have flower stalks weighing over 70 pounds with a thousand or more flowers! This one was photographed in Big Bend National Park near the Texas/Mexico border.
    Giant Dagger Yucca Flowers
  • One of the largest yuccas in Western Texas, the giant dagger yucca (Yucca faxoniana) can grow over 20 feet tall. Blooming in April, it can have flower stalks weighing over 70 pounds with a thousand or more flowers! This one was photographed in Big Bend National Park near the Texas/Mexico border.
    Giant Dagger Yucca
  • A yucca is silhouetted against a blinding hot sunset in the Mojave Desert near Twentynine Palms, in Southern California.
    Sunset in the Mojave Desert