Chaparral Yucca
'Aakuull
‘Iipay Aa name: ‘aakuull
Common name: chaparral yucca (chaparral candle)
Scientific name: Hesperoyucca whipplei
Chaparral yucca, or ‘aakuull in ‘Iipay Aa has a cluster of long, rigid leaves, each with a very sharp point on the tip. This plant reaches maturity in five to ten years; at that time, a ten-to-fifteen-foot flower stalk shoots up from its center. This stalk only takes about two weeks to grow. Hundreds of white or light purple, bell-shaped flowers, hang from the stalk. After it produces flowers, the plant dies, but if the flowers have been pollinated, new chaparral yucca plants will grow from the seeds. Yucca is a succulent that retains water in its leaves. This adaptation helps the plant thrive during the hot, dry summer months.
Photo courtesy of Ron Vanderhoff.
The California yucca moth is the only moth species that can pollinate the chapparal yucca. Their relationship is called a symbiotic, mutualistic relationship. The moth collects pollen, and places it into the flower of another chaparral yucca plant. Having pollinated the plant, the moth lays a single egg before leaving. After hatching, the moth larva will stay in the yucca flower where the plant will provide food for the larva until it moves to the soil to cocoon through the winter.
The chaparral yucca provides food for many bird species, deer, ground squirrels, and woodrats.
Kumeyaay People use the fibers from the leaves to make rope, nets, sandals, and coiled baskets. The young flowers, base, and stalk are edible.