Flower profile

Banana yucca

Yucca baccata

Banana yucca (Yucca baccata) is a shrub in the Asparagaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–May across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Banana yucca is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–May.

7states where USDA records it

4Bloomipedia state lists include it

12,116U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah

Quick look

Yucca baccata is a common species of yucca native to the deserts of the Southwestern United States and three states in Northern Mexico.
From Wikipedia's article Yucca baccata, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asparagaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a shrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 7 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah. ^NatureServe
In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. ^iNaturalist
In New Mexico, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–May. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as white. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as late spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 4 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 4,881 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #17 among the 132 flowers on our Arizona list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 3,091 research-grade sightings of it in New Mexico, ranking #8 among the 152 flowers on our New Mexico list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,925 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #12 among the 132 flowers on our Nevada list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (564 records)

Bloom time in the 4 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Arizona	Native	March–May	4,881
New Mexico	Native	April–May	3,091
Nevada	Native	April–May	1,925
Utah	Native	April–May	908

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Arizona: Not listed Not on Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arizona. ^{AAC R3-3 App. A}
New Mexico: Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Mexico. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
Nevada: Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Nevada. ^{NAC 527.010}
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Utah.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsToxic to dogs, cats and horses

ASPCA's entry “Yucca” (Yucca spp), which covers the whole genus, lists it as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Signs include: Dogs, cats: Vomiting; Horses: liver disease… ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records banana yucca in 7 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah.

Arizona counties with USDA records: Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yavapai.

New Mexico counties with USDA records: Bernalillo, Catron, Chaves, Eddy, Lincoln, Luna, McKinley, Otero, Rio Arriba, San Juan, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Socorro, Taos.

Nevada counties with USDA records: Clark, Lincoln, Nye.

Growing conditions

USDA PLANTS gives Banana yucca a high shade tolerance, high drought tolerance and low moisture use. It is rated for soil pH 7.0 to 8.5 and winter lows down to -3 °F.

Shade tolerance: High
Drought tolerance: High
Moisture use: Low
Soil textures it is adapted to: coarse, medium
Soil pH range: 7.0 to 8.5
Minimum temperature tolerated: -3 °F
Frost-free days needed (minimum): 115
Annual precipitation range: 7 to 35 inches
Minimum root depth: 6 inches
Salinity tolerance: None
Fertility requirement: Low
Growth rate: Moderate
Lifespan: Short
Active growth period: Spring, Summer, Fall
Fruit or seed: Black · Summer to Summer
Can be propagated by: bare root, container, seed
Commercial availability: Contracting Only

From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for YUBA. USDA ratings are general guidance for the species, not a guarantee for your garden.

Names, range and relatives

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Yucca confinis, Yucca vespertina.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 53 counties across 7 states; the most are in New Mexico (15), Arizona (12), Texas (8).

Other Yucca on Bloomipedia (10): Yuccas, Mojave yucca, Soaptree yucca, Western joshua tree, Great Plains yucca, Eastern Joshua tree, Twisted-leaf yucca, Common yucca, Torrey's yucca, Dwarf yucca.

More from the Asparagaceae family (34 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Solomon's plume (false Solomon's seal), Canada mayflower, Blue dicks, Common star-of-Bethlehem, Star-flowered lily-of-the-valley, Chaparral yucca, Wavy-leafed soap plant, Ithuriel's spear.

More Arizona flowers

Soaptree yucca

Yucca elata

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in AZ

Palmer's agave

Agave palmeri

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in AZ

Blue dicks

Dipterostemon capitatus

🌼 Blooms in AZ: February–April

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile YUBA.
iNaturalist, Yucca baccata: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Yucca baccata (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Arizona: Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025).
Arizona: Arizona prohibited noxious weeds (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-4-245).
New Mexico: New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC).
New Mexico: New Mexico Noxious Weed List (NM Department of Agriculture, updated June 2020).
Nevada: Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010).
Nevada: Nevada noxious weeds (NAC 555.010).
Utah: Utah noxious weed list (Utah Admin. Code R68-9-3).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Yucca baccata (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
Photo: CK2AZ via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.