Yucca filifera Chabaud · 

🌱 Morphology   A large-statured, perennial, arborescent plant that can reach heights of 8 to 12 m. It develops a robust trunk that usually begins to branch at 3–4 m, forming a wide crown with age, with numerous branches ending in rosettes. The leaves are rigid, linear, and lanceolate, 30–55 cm long and 2–3.5 cm wide, olive-green to bluish-green in color, with a very sharp spiny tip. Its most distinctive feature is the fine, curly white filaments that hang from the margins, especially visible on young leaves. The dry leaves may remain attached to the trunk and branches.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family    It is native to Mexico, where it is widely distributed throughout the central and northeastern regions of the country, especially in the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Guanajuato, and Hidalgo. It grows in the xerophytic scrubland of the Chihuahuan Desert, on plains, mountain slopes, and in canyons, on limestone soils and other well-drained ground, at elevations between 500 and 2,780 m.

Order Asparagales · Family Asparagaceae · Subfamily Agavoideae.

❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 8a   It tolerates minimum temperatures of approximately −12 °C in dry cultivation conditions and when specimens are established. It is less resistant to wet cold than other arborescent yuccas such as Yucca rostrata. It is recommended to avoid waterlogging and to protect the root system especially during cold, rainy winters.

☀️ Lighting It needs full sun throughout the year to develop a strong trunk and a well-branched crown. A PAR DLI of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ is recommended. In shaded conditions, it may grow less compactly and lose some of its characteristic stature.

💧 Growth cycle and watering

Winter dormancy. Growth mainly occurs in spring and summer. During the active period, it is recommended to water deeply and allow the substrate to dry out completely before watering again. Once established, it tolerates prolonged periods of drought. In winter, water inputs should be greatly reduced and the substrate kept dry, especially when temperatures drop.

🌸 Flowering It produces a large terminal inflorescence up to 1.5 m tall, initially erect, which becomes characteristic and markedly pendulous after flowering. It is composed of numerous cream-white bell-shaped flowers that generally appear from late spring through summer. The fruits are fleshy, elongated, and contain black seeds. The plant is polycarpic: the rosettes can flower in successive seasons without dying after flowering.

🌿 Nutrition During the active growth period, Desert CHOICE® Succulents is recommended, providing a balanced supply of potassium and bioavailable calcium. Potassium helps regulate water and enhances stress resistance, while calcium contributes to the firmness and consistency of the tissues.

🪴 Pot 40x40 cm 

This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a technological square pot with a substrate enriched with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.