Yucca...
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The
yucca grows in the sun-drenched, arid Southwest. It is a plant that has been
used for centuries by Native Americans for many purposes. It is New Mexico's
state flower. The yucca is called Lamparas de Dios, which is Spanish for
Lamps of the Lord, in reference to the beautiful white flowers it sends up on
towering stalks..
"Schoolchildren spent months considering the states flowers. In the end, they
favored the yucca. It was seconded by the New Mexico Federation of Womens Clubs
and was officially adopted on March 14, 1927.
"New Mexicos state flower is sometimes called Spanish bayonet for its long sharp, leaves. Another nickname is beargrass. Try to guess how it got the nickname soapweed. (More about that later.)
"Yucca leaves grow to lengths up to about two feet. They look like giant pin cushions sitting on the ground. From the center of this cluster of green spears grows a tall stalk bearing 10 to 15 greenish-white flowers.
"Yuccas are native to North America and the West Indies and generally grow in arid areas. (The word yucca comes from the island of Haiti.) They include the Joshua tree, which grows as much as 30 feet tall in the Mojave Desert.
"The yucca adopted by New Mexico is primarily a plant of the Great Plains. It grows from southeastern Alberta, Canada, south to Missouri, Texas, and New Mexico.
"The small, white pronuba moth is sometimes called the yucca moth. It lays its eggs in yucca flowers. Later, the larvae feed on the yuccas fruit.
"But the yucca moth is not a yucca pest, for it pollinates yuccas. Without yuccas, there would be no yucca moths. Likewise, if there were no yucca moths, there would be fewer yuccas.
"Native Americans used yucca roots for making soap and hair tonic. (Thats why its sometimes called soapweed.) They also ate the central spikes, flowers, and seed pods. A spiny leaf tip, with fibers attached, could be used as needle and thread!
"Members of the agave family, to which yuccas belong, have a wide variety of uses. Some companies sell products made from yuccas, claiming they have medicinal value." (http://www.geobop.com/World/NA/US/NM/Flower.htm)