A spineless yucca, the indoor yucca grown on a thick woody cane with rosettes of long strap-shaped leaves on top.
Yucca elephantipes comes from Mexico and Central America and reaches around 1.5 to 2m indoors over a good many years. The shape is the reason to buy it: a bare woody stem carrying arching mid-green leaves, giving height and structure to a corner without spreading much. Unlike the garden yuccas, the leaf tips on this one are soft rather than sharp.
Give it the brightest position you have, out of long spells of harsh direct sun, and it will be perfectly happy. Water when the top few centimetres of compost have dried and cut right back in winter; it stores water and copes far better with being forgotten than with being overwatered. Ordinary room temperature suits it, roughly 10C to 27C, and it tolerates dry air, so it never needs misting. Feed once a month in spring and summer. Repot in spring when the roots fill the pot, using a well-drained compost. If it grows too tall, the cane can be cut back in spring and will reshoot.
Supplied as one established plant with a 3 litre, 19cm root ball, ready to pot into a container of your own. Yucca is harmful to dogs and cats if eaten, so keep it out of their reach.
Cultural Information
Common Name: Spineless yucca, yucca cane
Fully Grown Height and Spread: 1.5 to 2m x 60 to 90cm indoors
Growth Habit: Upright and tree like, on a thick woody cane with terminal leaf rosettes
Perfect For: Living rooms, hallways, conservatories, offices and bright bedrooms
Foliage: Long, sword-shaped, mid-green leaves with soft tips
Flowering Time: Grown for foliage; it does not flower indoors
Planting Position: Bright light indoors, out of harsh direct sun
Soil Type: Well-drained, free-draining compost
Hardiness: Tender, indoor only in Britain; keep above 5C
Maintenance: Easy; water sparingly and give it light
Seasonal Interest: Evergreen foliage all year
Type: Evergreen architectural houseplant, supplied in a 3L pot
