Yucca aloifolia L., Asparagaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: aloe yucca, daggerplant, Spanish bayonet, Spanish dagger, yucca

French: bayonnette

Spanish: yuca

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Simple plants 1-2 m tall to branched colonies 10 m tall. Leaves numerous in tight spirals, narrowly linear, 35-60 cm long, 2.5-3.5 cm wide, the apical spine terete, 1 cm long, black, the margins entire to denticulate. Inflorescence terminal, paniculate, 20-70 cm long. Flowers with tepals white, fleshy, 4-6 cm long. Fruit...reported to be oblong, 5-9 cm long, 2.5-4.0 cm in diameter, without a papery core but with purple pulp; seeds black" (Howard, 1979; pp. 502-504).

Habitat/ecology:  In New Caledonia, "cultivé à Koé en 1883. Aujourd'hui peu planté mais parfois naturalisé, notamment à Nouméa et à Pouembout" (MacKee, 1994; p. 94).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Mexico, Central America, Florida (US), Greater and Lesser Antilles (Howard, 1979; pp. 502-504).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced cultivated	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (pp. 502, 548, 558) "En RC, esta especie fue plantada hace poco en un jardin del pueblo de San Juan Bautista.  Su reciente introducción no permite hacerse una idea de su comportamiento en el futuro".
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	‘Atiu Island	cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2011) Yucca gloriosa
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Mangaia Island	cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2011) Yucca gloriosa
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Ma‘uke Island	cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2011) Yucca gloriosa
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2011) Yucca gloriosa
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008) Collected in survey, herbarium record pending.
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
French Polynesia Gambier Islands	Mangareva (Gambier) Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Cultivée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island		Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 67)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Cultivée
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	Tassin, Jacques (2005)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 94) Vouchers cited: Däniker 2835, MacKee 1988, MacKee 42623, MacKee 42680
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île des Pins (Isle of Pines)	introduced invasive	Tassin, Jacques (2005)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	introduced cultivated	Merrill, Elmer D. (1925) (p. 204) Planted here and there for ornamental purposes, but not naturalized.
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Western Samoa Islands		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 98)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	introduced cultivated	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 133)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced cultivated	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 133)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 91) Cultivated only

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Fact sheet from Floridata.

Additional online information about Yucca aloifolia is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Yucca aloifolia as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Yucca aloifolia may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John. 2011. Naturalized species in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile. Unpublished spreadsheet.

Charles Darwin Foundation. 2008. Database inventory of introduced plant species in the rural and urban zones of Galapagos. Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos, Ecuador.

Charles Darwin Research Station. 2005. CDRS Herbarium records.

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. 1998. Potential environmental weeds in Australia: Candidate species for preventative control. Canberra, Australia. Biodiversity Group, Environment Australia. 208 pp.

Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido. 2006. Nouveau catalogue de la flore vaculaire de l'archipel Juan Fernández (Chile) [Nuevo catálogo de la flora vacular del Archipélago Juan Fernández (Chile)]. Acta Bot. Gallica 153(4):399-587.

Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. 2011. Base de données botaniques Nadeaud de l'Herbier de la Polynésie Française (PAP). (online resource).

Fosberg, F. R. 1997. Preliminary checklist of the flowering plants and ferns of the Society Islands. Ed. by David R. Stoddart. U. Cal. Berkeley.

Howard, Richard A. 1979. Flora of the Lesser Antilles: Leeward and Windward Islands. Vol. 3, Monocotyledoneae. Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University. 586 pp.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

McCormack, Gerald. 2011. Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga.

Merrill, Elmer D. 1925. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, vol. 1 [reprint]. Bureau of Printing, Manila. 463 pp.

Swarbrick, John T. 1997. Weeds of the Pacific Islands. Technical paper no. 209. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 124 pp.

Tassin, Jacques. 2005. Jacques Tassin (IAC-CIRAD), personal communication.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.