The latin name for this makes me think of Harry Potter… filamenTOSA!
Boom! And then you’ve got a native yucca in Virginia. Most people are surprised to know yucca grows here, as I was when I first encountered this plant. And it is indeed edible!
From VNPS: Yucca fruit can be cooked and eaten after the seeds are removed; the large petals are used in salads. Yuccas depend on the Yucca Moth as their agent of pollination, and conversely, the moth larvae depend on yuccas for food.
Alternate Names: Adam’s needle and thread Size: 4-8' tall Family: Asparagaceae (Asparagus Family) (!) Habitat: Dry, sandy soils and sand dunes, Full sun to partial shade Identification: From VNPS: Distinctive with leathery, evergreen leaves in a dense rosette, this plant looks like its desert relatives. On edges of the stiff, sharply pointed leaves are fraying, twisted whitish threads, which are not usually found on other species of Yucca. During the growing season each plant will produce a spreading cluster of drooping cream-colored flowers on a 6-foot smooth stalk, followed by an oblong, pickle-like fruit. Blooms April-June
Yucca Flowers
