Desert - Red Yucca

Red Yucca is a landscape staple in Phoenix and is now found in southern California and Texas landscapes as well. It is an excellent "smaller" arid shrub that is well suited for today's smaller, drier urban spaces. Interesting when massed into groups.  Strongly attracts hummingbirds.  Basally clumping, upright, agave like, stiff, dry and xeric, informal, unconfined. Applications of supplemental water (the norm in Phoenix) increase the vigor and ultimate size of this attractive herbaceous perennial by two to three times over what size this plant attains in its native desert habitat.  Red yucca is an evergreen, herbaceous perennial. It is generally a slow grower, basally clumping to 2- to 4-feet tall (there is genotypic variation that expresses as larger or smaller), but with flower stalks that extend up to 8- to 10-feet tall. Water availability will have a profound effect on its eventual size.

Scientific name:  Hesperaloe parviflora