PlantFiles: Redflower False Yucca, Red Yucca
Hesperaloe parviflora

Growing this here in Western Arkansas, in raised desert beds and containers, grows fast, flowers regularly through summer and fall until frost.

Red yucca is growing in my garden in Seattle, Washington, but it hasn't bloomed since I moved here two summers ago. Any ideas how to encourage flowering?

I live in Yuma, AZ I have enjoyed watching this grow. It seemed to take forever, but in early spring the center flower grew quickly and very tall. I am going to try to grow more of them by using the seeds. The pods of seeds (none yet on one plant, three on another and one on another) are fun to watch as they grow larger and look like very tiny pumpkins only a brownish tan color.

Red Yucca is a beautiful hardy plant that can take the Texas heat.
It is endemic to Texas and very much loved and used in native gardens.

Even tho this is Drought tolerant, it little extra water in the hottest summer months dosen't hurt it at all, especially in the dryer deserts.

Other common names include the followinig: false red yucca, Texas red yucca, samandoque, coral yucca and hummingbird yucca.

Red yucca, a slow growing evergreen, clump-forming, perennial that grows to 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide (wider under optimum conditions), is a native of the Chihuahuan desert of west Texas and extends into central and south Texas (Rio-Grande area) and northeastern Mexico (Coahuila). It natively grows in gravelly limestone soils with fast drainage and usually inhabits rocky slopes, valley slopes, canyon areas, prairies and mesquite thickets. Red yucca is adaptable to a variety of soils and to most of the eastern USA as well. It is cold hardy to -20° F (USDA Zone 5). In cooler areas, it grows best when placed in a hot spot like a south-facing wall where it can get reflected heat. While it will tolerate partial shade or light shade if the soil has adequate drainage, it blooms best in full sun. It is drought tolerant, but grows better with supplemental irrigation during a long, hot summer. Be sure to not over water it.

Red yucca is not a true yucca at all, but is related to the yucca species. It forms a grass-like mound from a rosette of narrow, hard, long, narrow, pointed blue-green leaves. The arching blades resemble rolled grass and have curly threads along the edge of the blade margins. In the winter, the leaves may become a plum color. Unlike the yuccas, red yucca has no thorns. In its natural setting, deer browse the foliage.

From April through August, the red yucca produces narrow, tubular, inverted bell-shaped, 1.25 inch long rosy-red to salmon-pink blooms on racemes which occur on arching, wand-like, pink 40 to 50" stems. The blooms open from the bottom of the raceme upward. (There is a cream to yellow blooming variety as well). The blooms attract hummingbirds and bees.

The green, ping-pong ball sized, multi-chambered seed pods turn a tannish brown color when dry. The seeds are flat, black and about 9 -10mm long by 6 -7 mm wide. These seeds should be soaked for 24 hours before planting to encourage faster germination. The plant also may be propagated by dividing the offsets from the base of the mother plant.

Red yucca is widely cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions serving as a median plant and/or a roadside plant as well as a landscaping element. It is a great container plant and is a good choice for pool areas and pathways. It may be used as a solitary accent plant, in mass plantings or with various cacti in rock gardens to create a desert-themed landscape. If planting it, be sure that it is not next to plants that need a lot of water. It requires minimal maintenance (removal of spent flower stalks and dead leaf blades) and has no serious pest problems.

If this plant grows well in my area, I haven't found the right spot for it yet. My guess is it needs more water than the dry Nevada desert can supply naturally. I was fool enough to plant Hesperaloe in very dry locations, including one where Penstemon parryi thrives. The Hesperaloe has failed twice now. I'll keep trying, though...

Common English names include Red False Yucca and Red Flower Yucca for this evergreen perennial shrub, which measures 3'x3' and has 6-foot flower stalks.