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Common Yucca

Yucca filamentosa

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in forests and woodlands; roadsides, fields and disturbed ground; granite and other acidic rock outcrops; prairies and grasslands. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Arkansas. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height
3–8 feet
Spread
3–5 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist
See native alternatives

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  • Virginia Sweetspire
    Itea virginica

    Sun: Dappled sunlight, Partial shade. Soil: Moist to standing water. Flowers: White.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

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At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
Spring and summer
Fruiting season
September to October

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 3 Arkansas counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 4

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

Granite and other acidic rock outcrops

Bare or thin-soil rock on granite, gneiss, sandstone, quartzite and similar acidic rock, including granite flatrocks and domes.

Prairies and grasslands

Open, grass-dominated places kept open by fire, grazing or thin soil, from tallgrass prairie to Piedmont prairies.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

11CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR

Genus host records with ranges including AR · Yucca

  • Amyelois transitellaNavel Orangeworm
  • Megathymus yuccaeYucca Giant-Skipper, Colorado Yucca Skipper
  • Melitara prodenialisEastern Cactus-Boring Moth, Eastern Blue Cactus Borer
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Spodoptera dolichosSweetpotato Armyworm, Dolichos Armyworm, Large Cotton Armyworm
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera latifasciaOrange-Striped Armyworm, Velvet Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
  • Tegeticula yuccasellaYucca Moth
Show all 11
  • Xylesthia pruniramiellaClemens' Bark Moth, Speckled Xylesthia
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Yucca

  • Cyrtonyx montezumaeMontezuma Quail
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Agavaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–10b
Soil pH
Neutral
Flower color
White
Fruit begins
September
Fruit ends
October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Adams Needle; Curly Leaf Yucca; Yucca recurvifolia

Conservation status

Arkansas rankNot available
Global rankG5
AR statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources