Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Yucca baccata (Datil Yucca or Banana Yucca) is a common species of yucca native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, from southeastern California north to Utah, east to western Texas and south to Sonora and Chihuahua. In California it is found primarily in northeastern San Bernardino County. It gets its name from its banana-shaped fruit. Banana Yucca is closely related to the Mojave Yucca (Y. schidigera), with which it is interspersed where their ranges overlap; hybrids between them occur. It is also related to Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia) and is found primarily in Joshua Tree Woodland in California.

Plant type

Shrub, Succulent

Size

3 - 6 ft Tall
6 ft Wide

Form

Upright

Growth rate

Slow, Moderate

Dormancy

Evergreen

Calscape icon
Color

White

Flowering season

Spring

Special uses

Hedge

Sun

Full Sun, Partial Shade

Water

Low, Very Low

Summer irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Ease of care

Moderate

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 5° F

Soil drainage

Fast

Soil description

Typically coarse, fast draining decomposed granite.
Soil PH: 6.5 - 8.0

Maintenance

Dried leaves may be removed at any time for a neater appearance

Propagation

By seed

Sunset Zones

2, 3, 7*, 8, 9, 10*, 11, 14, 15, 16, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22, 23

Site type

High desert mountains and plateaus where snow is common in winter

Plant communities

Joshua Tree Woodland

Bats
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

1 confirmed and 3 likely

Confirmed Likely

Yucca Giant-Skipper

Megathymus yuccae

Holcocera iceryaeella

Yellowstriped Armyworm Moth

Spodoptera ornithogalli

Yucca Moth

Tegeticula yuccasella