Yucca × schottii facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Schott's yucca |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Yucca
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| Species: |
× schottii
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Yucca × schottii is a special plant that belongs to the Yucca family. You might hear it called Schott's yucca, hoary yucca, or mountain yucca. It grows naturally in the southern parts of Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, and in northern Sonora and Chihuahua in Mexico.
The "×" in its name means it's a nothospecies, which is a fancy way of saying it's a natural mix, or hybrid, of two other yucca species. Scientists believe Yucca × schottii came from a mix of Y. baccata and Y. madrensis. Even though it's a hybrid, it's very strong and can make new plants on its own in the wild.
Where It Grows
This plant is called "mountain yucca" because it likes to live in higher places than other types of yuccas that look like trees. You can find it in the mountains north of a big mountain range called the Sierra Madre Occidental.
Most of these yuccas, about half of them, are found in Arizona. They also grow in a small area of southwest New Mexico, often called the "bootheel region." Across the border in Mexico, they live in northern Sonora and the very northwest part of Chihuahua.
These areas are special because they are where two deserts meet: the Sonoran Desert and the Chihuahuan Desert. This region has unique "sky islands." These are like tall mountains that stick up from flat desert areas. They create cooler, wetter places for plants like the yucca to grow. These sky islands are part of the Madrean Sky Islands, named for the pine forests found there.
What It Looks Like
Yucca × schottii can grow quite tall, reaching up to 5 meters (about 16 feet) high. Its main stem, or trunk, is usually thin, rarely wider than 30 centimeters (about 1 foot) across. Sometimes, it branches out high above the ground.
Its leaves are long and narrow, like a spearhead. They are stiff and tough, growing up to 60 centimeters (about 2 feet) long and 8 centimeters (about 3 inches) wide. Each leaf has a hard, sharp point at its tip. The flowers of this yucca are white, and its fruit is soft and shaped like an egg.
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This is a Mountain Yucca, also known as Schott's Yucca.
See also
In Spanish: Yucca schottii para niños
