What is yucca

Often the common names of plants create confusion, and there are many that share names. A clear example is the term “yucca”, which refers to an entire botanical genus (the Yucca) and also to the Manihot esculenta.

So, so that there is no room for doubt, we are going to explain what yucca is telling you what the differences are between one and the other. This will make it very easy for you to differentiate them 🙂.

Table of Contents

  • 1 Yucca (Manihot esculenta)
  • 2 Yucca (botanical genus Yucca sp)

Yucca (Manihot esculenta)

Manihot esculenta

La Manihot esculenta, also known as cassava, tapioca, aipim or yuca, is a shrub native to South America. It is an evergreen plant, which reaches 4-5 meters, and that unfortunately can only be grown in warm climates without frost since it is very sensitive to cold. In fact, the minimum temperature must be above 15ºC.

In addition, you need fertile, well-draining soil, and of course a regular supply of compost so that your roots are of excellent quality. It is grown mainly for its tuberous roots, which have these uses:

  • Culinary: it has the same as potatoes. Whether turned into flour to make breads or cakes, or as a garnish, it has a very pleasant taste.
  • Animal feed: the tubers, once dried in the sun for one or two days, are fed to livestock.

Yucca (botanical genus Yucca sp)

Yucca rostrata specimen

yucca rostrata

Plants of the genus Yucca are shrubs or evergreen trees that are characterized by having more or less triangular shaped leaves whose tips are often thorny. They are native to North and Central America, and can reach a height between 2 and 6 meters depending on the species.

They are widely cultivated in the hot and dry regions of the worldSince to be happy all they need is a land with good drainage and a supply of water from time to time. In addition, the vast majority of species withstand frosts down to -4ºC without being damaged.

What did you think of this article? Did you know that there were two types of plants that were known by the name of yucca?

What is yucca

One thought on “What is yucca

Leave a Reply

Scroll to top

Discover more from DIY Gardens

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading