Flower profile

Banana yucca

Yucca baccata

Native in the lower 48

Banana yucca is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in March–June.

7states

4of our state lists

12,116U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah

Quick look

Yucca baccata is a common species of yucca native to the deserts of the Southwestern United States and three states in Northern Mexico.
From Wikipedia's article Yucca baccata, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asparagaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a shrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 7 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah. ^NatureServe
In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. ^iNaturalist
In New Mexico, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as white. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as late spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 4 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 4,881 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #17 among the 109 flowers on our Arizona list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 3,091 research-grade sightings of it in New Mexico, ranking #8 among the 109 flowers on our New Mexico list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,925 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #12 among the 110 flowers on our Nevada list. ^iNaturalist

Banana yucca gift ideas

Handmade banana yucca gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Banana yucca art print
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Banana yucca greeting card
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Banana yucca mug
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Banana yucca earrings
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Banana yucca embroidery pattern
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Banana yucca sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (564 records)

Bloom time in each of our 4 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Arizona	Native	March–May	4,881
New Mexico	Native	April–June	3,091
Nevada	Native	April–June	1,925
Utah	Native	April–June	908

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Arizona: Not listed Not on Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arizona. ^{AAC R3-3 App. A}
New Mexico: Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Mexico. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
Nevada: Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Nevada. ^{NAC 527.010}
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Utah.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsToxic to dogs, cats and horses

ASPCA's entry “Yucca” (Yucca spp), which covers the whole genus, lists it as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Signs include: Dogs, cats: Vomiting; Horses: liver disease… ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records banana yucca in 7 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah.

Arizona counties with USDA records: Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yavapai.

New Mexico counties with USDA records: Bernalillo, Catron, Chaves, Eddy, Lincoln, Luna, McKinley, Otero, Rio Arriba, San Juan, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Socorro, Taos.

Nevada counties with USDA records: Clark, Lincoln, Nye.

More Arizona flowers

Yuccas

Yucca

★ NM state flowerNative

🌼 Blooms: February–June

Blue dicks

Dipterostemon capitatus

🌼 Blooms in AZ: February–April

Star-flowered lily-of-the-valley

Maianthemum stellatum

Native

🌼 Blooms: March–June

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile YUBA.
iNaturalist, Yucca baccata: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Yucca baccata (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Arizona: Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025).
Arizona: Arizona prohibited noxious weeds (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-4-245).
New Mexico: New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC).
New Mexico: New Mexico Noxious Weed List (NM Department of Agriculture, updated June 2020).
Nevada: Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010).
Nevada: Nevada noxious weeds (NAC 555.010).
Utah: Utah noxious weed list (Utah Admin. Code R68-9-3).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Yucca baccata (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
Photo: CK2AZ via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.