Species PlantsDatil Yucca

Datil Yucca

Yucca baccata

CommonPlant
Illustration of Datil Yucca (Yucca baccata)
Safety note: Leaf tips are sharply pointed and can cause puncture wounds.

Datil Yucca is a robust yucca of the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts and Great Basin, producing large, fleshy seed pods that were an important food for desert indigenous peoples. Like all yuccas, it has a mutualistic relationship with yucca moths, which are the exclusive pollinators. The pods can be eaten raw or roasted.

Habitat
Desert slopes and grasslands of the Chihuahuan Desert and Great Basin
Diet
Exclusive pollination by yucca moths; pods eaten by deer, bears, and coyotes
How common
Common

Best time to see a Datil Yucca

The best time to see a Datil Yucca is January–June, when about 63% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 11,764 research-grade iNaturalist observations.

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