Photos

A flower stalk of the Yucca Elata (also known as the Soaptree Yucca). Native to desert regions, these plants look kind of like agave, as their leaves are close to the ground, although they have more/skinnier leaves. The stalk rises about 10-18 feet. This shot was taken at the (outdoor) Desert Museum in Tucson.

The stalk that shoots up from the leaves is a twig-thin stalk with small white flowers growing at the top. The plant's fruit is also on the stalk and is a brown capsule until the summer, when it splits into three sections that contain black seeds.

Maybe you are wondering why the plant is call the "Soaptree" Yucca. There is a logical reason. Inside the roots and trunk of the plant is a soapy substance. This substance was commonly used as a substitute for soap. In a drought, ranchers use the plant as an emergency food supply for their cattle. In the days when Native Americans dwelled in the deserts, the fiber of the Soaptree Yucca's leaves were used to weave baskets. This plant gave them a head start to finding enough food, because the Native Americans most likely used the baskets to collect food. The Yucca is also used for decoration in many American gardens. So this plant's leaves, roots, trunk and stalk have been useful to humans since the time of the Native Americans.