| Description | Ivory Tower Yucca (Yucca filamentosa) is very similar to the standard Yucca. Reported to be more compact, and flowers are more outward-facing instead of dropping. |
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| Pronunciation | (YUCK-uh)(fill-uh-men-TOE-suh) |
| Plant Type | Perennials Hardy, Broadleaf evergreen, Site author's observations |
| Hardiness Zone | (4)5 |
| Sunlight | Grows best in full sun. Tolerates some shade but best in full sun. |
| Moisture | average to dry |
| Soil & Site | average, well-drained, dry |
| Temperature | A very cold-tolerant plant that looks like it grows in a desert. |
| Flowers | Many white, bell-shaped flowers are produced along the top of a branched, 5-foot-tall flower stalk. In these flowers, the petals and sepals are indistinguishable and are called tepals. The color is described as ivory-colored, with out-facing florets. Notably, the flower is an inflorescence called a panicle that originates at the top of the rosette. |
| Fruit | A dry capsule splits into three parts. The seeds are thin, black, and fall out when the capsule splits. |
| Leaves | Stiff, sword-like leaves arise from the base of the plant, tipped with a sharp spine, and threads of fiber will peel off the side of the leaf. |
| Stems | Considered stemless, growing from a crown with a rosette of leaves. |
| Dimensions | The basal globe of spiny leaves reaches about 3 by 3 feet tall. The flower stalk will add 3 feet. Reported to be more compact than the species. |
| Maintenance | Removal of dead leaves, plants, and offshoots each spring. Since the leaves are stiff and sharp, make sure to have good gloves and a long-sleeved shirt or jacket. Sometimes the leaves are easy to pull off, but other times they need to be cut. Often, the leaves can be mushy where the dead leaf attaches to the stalk of the rosette. |
| Propagation | Seeds may not be true to the cultivar. Increase by offsets. |
| Native Site | The species Yucca filamentosa is native to the Southwestern USA |
| Author's Notes | There are variegated cultivars of this plant. |
| Notes & Reference | #1 Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Michael Dirr), #272-Agaves, Yucca and Related Plants (Mary and Gary Irish), #274-Site Authors' observations and growing experiences of using Yucca |
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