Yucca thompsoniana, the Thompson's yucca, is a plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to Texas, Chihuahua and Coahuila.Trelease, Report (Annual) of the Missouri Botanical Garden 22: 101 1911 publ. 1912. Other names for the plant include Beaked yucca, Soyate and Palmita.
Yucca thompsoniana has a trunk up to 1 m tall, branching above the ground. It flowers before there is any trunk at all, but continues to flower after the stem begins to grow. Leaves are narrow and dagger-like, a bit glaucous, up to 35 cm long and 10 mm wide. Inflorescence is a panicle about 100 cm high. Flowers are white, about 4 cm long and appear in late March through early May. Fruit is a dry, egg-shaped capsule.CONABIO. 2009. Catálogo taxonómico de especies de México. 1. In Capital Nat. México. CONABIO, México D.F.
The plant was first collected in Chihuahua by John Bigelow in 1852 and was described by William Trelease in 1911.
References