Alternate name: Desert Pampas Grass, Desert Spoon

Family: Liliaceae, Lily view all from this family

Description This short-trunked desert perennial is often mistaken for yucca. A 9-15 ft. flower stalk, bearing a 2-3 ft. spike of yellowish flowers, is subtended by a basal cluster of dark, bluish-green leaves with evenly-spaced spines and a wide, cupped base. The leaf cluster is 1 1/2-2 1/2 ft. tall.

Flower May - July.

Flower May - July

Habitat Dry, rocky slopes of deserts and mountains.

Range W. Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and adjacent Mexico.

Discussion Trunks split open during dry spells, allowing wildlife access to the spongy interior and leaf bases.

Comments Good accent plant for hot, exposed areas.

Exposure Preference Sun to partial sun.

Native Distribution W. Texas, New Mexico & adjacent Mexico

Site Preference Dry, rocky slopes of deserts & mountains

Soil Preference Rocky, limestone soils.

Wildlife Value Trunks split open during dry spells, allowing wildlife access to the spongy interior and leaf bases.