Talk:Yucca

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Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 05:23, 18 January 2022 (UTC)

Change photo

I have moved the Yucca schidigera flowers photo down the page, and replaced it with a yukka filamentosa photo which I think better illustrates yukka spiking/flowering. Also, ordinarily I would try to get a non intrusive background, but in this instance I deliberately positioned the shed at the rear to give scale to the magnificent spikes. Moriori 06:39, 9 March 2006 (UTC)

Identification

Which yucca?

Anyone know which yucca this is? I photographed it near Orosí, Costa Rica.

Photo placement

I recently added a photo and changed the placement of two other photos, which got subsequently reverted. So I reverted it back. :) The reason is that in the original version the photos appear scattered over the article. My version may look a bit more boring on a smaller screen, but at least it is consistent. The placement of photos is often a bit of a problem, especially when one tries to get it right for different window sizes (and browsers), and experience has shown me that what I did usually has consistently the best results. DirkvdM 17:35, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Actually, it made the page layout worse, as it forced the species list lower down the page, leaving a blank gap in the middle of the text. Also as Moriori points out, it is not an identified species, so is of relatively low value in the page - MPF 23:21, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Oh, that photo is a different issue. The lack of identification is indeed a problem. I just thought is was too nice a pic not to place. Anyway, putting it in the gallery, as Moriori did, is ok with me. But I prefer [that layout] over what you did next. Not a major thing, though, but the yucca brevifolia pic rather breaks up the list. At least, with me, using Firefox. That is another issue. Differences in appearance can be a browser thing. I can check how an edit renders at different window sizes, but to check IE I'd have to restart the computer to start msWindows, and that is asking a bit too much. Anyway, I'll leave it to you guys now. Just wanted to point this out. DirkvdM 11:53, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

Hesperaloe image

I have removed the photo which feature Red Yuccas in the foreground (Image:Grandjunctionalpineloop 041.jpg). Despite their common name, these plants are in the related genus Hesperaloe, (Hesperaloe parviflora) rather than the genus Yucca which is the subject of this article. Melburnian 15:36, 7 July 2007 (UTC)

Rearrangement

Someone rearranged images which had a negative effect IMMHO. It moved the splendid filamentosa down into the gallery, but left the rather insipid baccata in the taxobox. The filamentosa is a lovely display, and the image adequately shows scale. The baccata is a so-so display, even dead looking, and there is nothing to indicate scale. So I have changed them over, which I think is an improvement. Moriori 01:30, 17 October 2007 (UTC)

I'm not so keen on the tableization either; the intent is good, but instead of a short and simple list that I scan to check species names, I have to scroll and scroll. As for main pic, it would be better to have one with a reasonably certain species identification, and that it be in habitat; I'm suspicious that the purported Y. filamentosa is some sort of hybrid, as are so many yuccas in cultivation. Stan 12:29, 17 October 2007 (UTC)

Not sure why you suspect it is some sort of hybrid. It is sold as filamentosa, and looks exactly like filamentosa such as the ones featured here. However, because of the salubrious climate in Kerikeri where this specimen was photographed, they're inclined to almost (but not quite) bolt and thus look a little taller than some specimens growing is less sympathetic climate. Moriori 01:38, 18 October 2007 (UTC)

The Irishes have half a page describing the taxonomic and identification difficulties of Y. filamentosa. A disadvantage of out-of-habitat pics is that casual viewers can get confused about actual ranges - just yesterday I fixed a mistaken claim that another species was native to Europe(!). I suppose it's partly a side-effect of one's locality - I can look out my window and see thousands of yuccas covering the desert, so to me they are part of the landscape, not garden material. But the pictures in this article seem to get randomly rearranged several times per year, so not worth arguing much about it. Stan 19:20, 18 October 2007 (UTC)

I also preferred the previous version, which was a plain list. William Avery 20:46, 19 October 2007 (UTC)

Spineless Yucca

I noticed that this isnt on the page, and wondered if there is a particular reason for it. There doesnt seem to be any info on wiki about it at all. The label on my plant says it is also called Yucca Elephantipes. Any info on this? Vivisquallcloud (talk) 21:28, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

I've made a start on an article: Yucca guatemalensis‎ and added it to the list --Melburnian (talk) 13:15, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

My Yucca only blooms once every 5 years or more?

Why does my Yucca 's only bloom or flower once evry 5 years or more? I have 4 of them and when they did bloom it looked like an alien comming out it,then it flowerd and that was it. My yucc'as are 20 years old. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 152.133.6.2 (talk) 12:36, 2 May 2008 (UTC) you need to put lime around your Yucca and it will bloo every year - Expert grower Betty Lou Smith TEXAS —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.76.233.31 (talk) 16:05, 26 April 2011 (UTC) PUT LIME AROUND YOUR YUCCA AND IT WILL BLOOM EVERY YEAR! - EXPERT GROWER BETTY LOU SMITH

I have many yucca in my yard in Michigan. I wouldn't have thought them capable of surviving here but they not only survive, these thing THRIVE. I'm pretty sure they're impossible to kill. I've cut them down and two days later they're already several inches tall again. I've dug them up and they grow back from even the smallest root fragment. I even left some I dug up in a wheelbarrow in the garage with no water for 6 months and as soon as the touched the ground they sprung back to life. It's unbelievable. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.134.104.240 (talk) 01:15, 19 June 2012 (UTC)

suspect that someone is having fun

In Spanish, the word yucca means "raging vagina".

I somehow doubt that this is the case...I've deleted the sentence.

DocKrin (talk) 01:41, 12 May 2009 (UT

Three Ways to Improve Content in the Article

UPDATE: I have checked this page most recently on 10/14/2014, and it appears that no one has added to this discussion.

I believe that article could include more about the mutualism and co-evolution between Yucca moths and the Yucca plant. The article does not include facts about possible antagonistic relationships of cheater Yucca moths. Cheater Yucca moths have appeared in certain populations and species of Yucca plants and do not assist the plants in pollination efforts, instead the moths only take advantage of the plants. The article does not address biogeography in the diversification of Yucca plant species. Biogeography has played a vital role in the survival of Yucca plants, and thus also affected the evolution of mutualistic Yucca moth species. The article can also explain the needs of Yucca plants vs. those of their mutualistic moths. Moth species that have relied on Yucca plants for laying eggs, diversified more rapidly than non-mutualistic moths. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Tfaridi.3 (talk • contribs) 06:43, 1 October 2014 (UTC)

Not only arid areas

I'd like to point out that the article is a bit misleading in over emphasizing arid regions when Yucca plants like Yucca filamentosa actually occur commonly in the humid subtropical zone of the southeastern US. I think the article would be more accurate if it pointed out that Yuccas commonly occur in fast drying parts of these wetter regions such as the Florida scrub, where I saw more than a few on a hike through Ocala National Forest. 23.121.197.3 (talk) 00:15, 20 May 2015 (UTC)

Edibles?

Missing this topic. -Inowen (nlfte) 22:22, 22 September 2018 (UTC)

Page improvements 2025

Working on improving the article using reliable sources. I am currently looking for a reliable source for the claim, "In rural Appalachian areas, species such as Yucca filamentosa are referred to as "meat hangers". With their sharp-spined tips, the tough, fibrous leaves were used to puncture meat and knotted to form a loop with which to hang meat for salt curing or in smokehouses." I did find a reference to "meat hangers", but in a book called The Wolfpen Rusties: Appalachian Riddles & Gee-Haw Whimmy-Diddles, p.14, but I am doubtful if the reliability of this book as a source. 🌿MtBotany (talk) 20:59, 26 April 2025 (UTC)

Due to the length of the article I am strongly considering making the list of species into its own article. Opinions? 🌿MtBotany (talk) 01:15, 2 May 2025 (UTC)

What gaps are there for this article before I head over to Good Article Review with it? There are more sources out there, but I might be reaching the point where more would be excessive rather than helpful. Opinions? 🌿MtBotany (talk) 19:00, 9 May 2025 (UTC)

GA Review

This review is transcluded from Talk:Yucca/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Nominator: MtBotany (talk · contribs) 23:19, 11 May 2025 (UTC)

Reviewer: Reconrabbit (talk · contribs) 20:42, 15 May 2025 (UTC)

Hello, I'll be looking over this article. I recognize the name of a plant editor but am surprised to see this is your first good article nomination (if that is true, according to Christie Bot). Will give it my all, though I'm starting with the simple stuff first. -- Reconrabbit 20:42, 15 May 2025 (UTC)

Crossed out my notes where your changes look good or my suggestions need no alterations. Have been ill as of late but will do my best to finish my part of the review in time -- Reconrabbit 04:48, 31 May 2025 (UTC)

Prose

• Good call on moving the list of species to its own article. There are cases where you would want to keep it in, but WP:NLIST points to a minimum of 8 items in a list and the list of Yucca species definitely meets that criteria.

Introduction

• The very first sentence is somewhat awkward. A reason to specify "in English" has not been established yet. It may be better to note "collectively referred to as yucca" or some variant and describe its characteristics. I am taking reference from how Fritillaria is structured.
  • A good suggestion, I've reworded rather than following Fritillaria exactly. Let me know what you think. -MtB.
    • Looks good to me --RR
• Human uses of the yuccas include cultivation as garden plant, chemical extracts, and parts of the plant that are eaten as food These three uses don't read well in sequence. Should garden plant be plural? Also, aren't all three of these uses tied to its cultivation? Also noting that "chemical extracts" is a vague term. (My suggestion: "Humans have cultivated yuccas as garden plants, for food, and for their extracts.")
  • Thanks, I went with extracts because on reflection I think chemical is too specific in this case. -MtB.
• The flower petals of various species, particularly in Central America and Mexico, are eaten as a part of local cuisine. Could move Central America and Mexico to the end of this sentence, otherwise the subject is only "the flower petals of various species, particularly in Central America and Mexico" and they could be eaten as local cuisine anywhere in the world. (pedantic, I know)
• More information could be provided on alternate names and general characteristics of the genus, historic uses, and symbolism

I'm working on the introduction. To better support the historic uses I added additional information from one new source and from Dunmire & Tierney to Traditional uses. 🌿MtBotany (talk) 23:55, 22 May 2025 (UTC)

Description

• Gloss or link "rosette"
• The leaves are numerous and arranged in spiral Should it be "in spirals"?
• Plants can be a small shrub or be large with a form like a tree Is form a specific term? This is vaguer than the introduction
• About half of all species have fibers that peal off the edges of the leaves Peel?
• Mention leaf color? Appears in Irish & Irish, 2000
  • Rewritten, let me know how the current version reads. -MtB

Taxonomy

• Consider using {{lang}} for words like juca to indicate the language used, like was done for izcotl
  • From what I can tell the spelling juca is archaic in contemporary Spanish with yuca now used for cassava as it is in English so I would be hesitant to tag it as Spanish. Source: Entry at Spanish Dictionary.com It might be appropriate to label it as Old Spanish, but that also might be going beyond what the OED is telling us. "In sense 1, found in the forms juca (Amerigo Vespucci, 1497), yuca (Clusius, 1567); of Carib origin." -MtB
    • If it's clearly of a specific language or dialect I like to indicate that but it doesn't seem clear here, no preference -RR

Range and habitat

• What is VASCAN?
  • Good point, changed to full name. -MtB
• In Australia one species, Aloe yucca (Yucca aloifolia), has become definitely become naturalized in Western Australia how should this be worded
  • Reworded -MtB
• "Also" is used over and over here
  • Copy edited out almost all of of them from this section and many others in the rest of the article. -MtB

Continuing down the list working on concerns and fixing other errors of gaps I notice as I go. Added in IPA pronunciation today sourced to Oxford English Dictionary. 🌿MtBotany (talk) 20:58, 23 May 2025 (UTC)

Ecology

• This section has a lot of one-sentence paragraphs that could be combined with each other to be more cohesive.
• The association between the yuccas and the yucca moths is quite ancient, with a molecular clock estimate that it began between 51.3 and 31.7 million years ago with them becoming pollinators 35.6 million years ago ±9 million years Kind of a run-on sentence.
• What is seed set?

  Ah. This appears to be one of my assumed "everyone knows this" gardening terms. It is not even defined in the Glossary of botanical terms. Though I did find it in the Encyclopedia of Applied Plant Sciences. Since this is jargon I have reworded to "without sufficient pollination produce minimal number of seeds". -MtB

• Beetle herbivores include yucca weevils, in the Curculionidae Could combine this sentence with another paragraph.

  Combined paragraphs and some copy edit for clarity. -MtB

Uses

• Ornamental uses needs a citation. May be supported by those used in subsequent paragraphs (Irish & Irish 2000?). I recommend combining it to avoid a one-sentence paragraph here.
• Additionally, the flowers are edible both cooked and raw, and the young flowering stems of some species are edible when cooked, however others may be toxic. Are the flowers edible in all species, but the stems are sometimes toxic? Somewhat confusing.

Symbolism

• All clear

Etc.

• List of Yucca species doesn't necessarily need to be in a See also section since it is already referenced in a hatnote earlier on.

References

• Layout: Very cleanly organized, maybe more organized than I'm used to seeing in a flora article. All looks good with regards to reflist and refbegin/refend usage.

  Thanks -MtB

Spot checking

14 to check (~15%). Generated via random numbers (swapped if inaccessible). Based on this revision:

• [5] Y I don't see anything about fibers that peel off

  Bottom of page 32 "Approximately half of all Yucca species have marginal filaments."

• [17] Y
• [19] Y
• [20]
• [23]
• [28]
• [32]
• [49]
• [55]
• [69]
• [72]
• [74]
• [85] Y; other uses of the plant are mentioned here such as their "universal use" in sandal making on p.146
• [89]

Copyright violations unlikely according to a search, but will be looking for close paraphrasing in referred texts

• Link to version where random selection of citations was made

Scope

• Broad: Article makes reference to all species and describes specific examples when warranted, covering ecology, general description, taxonomy, range, and uses by humans - all expected for an article on a genus of relatively restricted distribution
• Narrow: Detail is provided in quantity across many places where it is useful (description and comparison, taxonomy), and uses in pre- and post-Hispanic periods are detailed

Stability

• Neutrality: No evident bias towards any particular group and its promotion of a particular use, depiction, etc. of the yuccas, aside from the obvious (warranted) ones in regards to government symbols. Nominator has a clear bias towards plants, but I can't say I've done much better...
• Edit warring: Largely edited by one contributor with some editors providing minor corrections - no controversial edits or instability

Images

• Free/Fair use:
  • File:FLOR DE IZOTE DOS.jpg tagged as own work... which I doubt based on the contributor's other uploads that look to be of wildly differing quality.File:140401 flor de izote luis figueroa luisfi61.JPG is another example of yucca as food but is not as nice of a picture.

    Thanks for finding the alternate image, but I think it better to remove it without replacing for now. Perhaps I will gather some petals from Y. glauca, cook and photograph them. Once the season starts. Still working on other items. 🌿MtBotany (talk) 21:57, 24 May 2025 (UTC)

  • All other images are imported from iNaturalist, are "own work" (believable) or have usable free licenses.
• Relevance: Images are used in places relevant to the text, though on my display the Yucca elata image gets pushed down past the infobox - not a huge issue, it could be displayed on the left as well but that might be considered a different problem (WP:SANDWICH).

  I have tried to make it closer by collapsing the list of genus synonyms, but it only partly helps. What if the pod were in a gallery alongside some other representative pictures under the description? -MtB

• The editor could consider showing the full diversity of Yucca, either with the infobox as in Dracophyllum or in a gallery placed under the description, or both. Cheers, Dracophyllum 02:55, 23 May 2025 (UTC)

  I agree, a gallery of various species growth habits under the description would be a good addition. Two or three of the tree types, the same of the shrubby ones. Maybe find a good picture of an edible fruit for down by uses. I'm not totally against a simple list of all the species, but with 50 of them it gets close to being a wall of text. 🌿MtBotany (talk) 20:21, 28 May 2025 (UTC)

Good Article review progress box

Criteria: 1a. prose () 1b. MoS () 2a. ref layout () 2b. cites WP:RS () 2c. no WP:OR () 2d. no WP:CV () 3a. broadness () 3b. focus () 4. neutral () 5. stable () 6a. free or tagged images () 6b. pics relevant () Note: this represents where the article stands relative to the Good Article criteria. Criteria marked are unassessed