Yucca harrimaniae aka Harriman's Yucca

Yucca harrimaniae is a small shrub that stays green all year. It belongs to the asparagus family, Asparagaceae. People call it Spanish bayonet and New Mexico Spanish bayonet. It comes from the western United States. Its range includes eastern Nevada, Utah, and western Colorado. It also grows in northern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico. It lives in high plains grassland and open conifer woods. These sites have a temperate climate.

The plant grows slowly to about 1.3 feet (0.4 metres) tall. It keeps its leaves through the year. Its small size suits garden beds where taller shrubs need more space. Each crown flowers once, then dies. The flowers have both male and female organs. A specific moth pollinates them in the plant's native range. That moth does not live in Britain. Gardeners there must pollinate flowers by hand for fruit and seed. They can use a small paintbrush for this task.

Give this yucca sun and soil that drains well. It prefers sandy loam but also grows in loam and clay. It can grow in poor soil. It copes with soil from mildly acid to mildly alkaline. Plants For A Future also lists light shade as suitable. Once plants take root, they withstand drought. They can grow in moist soil as well. The plant copes with cool, damp weather and strong winds. It does not suit sites open to sea winds. The source lists USDA zones 6–9. It reports that plants withstand cold to at least −30°C. Poor, sandy soil helps them withstand cold.

Several parts serve as food, but each needs its own preparation. You can eat the flowers raw or cooked. Dried, crushed flowers can add flavour to food. Cook the unripe fruit before eating it. It tastes bitter, with much of that taste in the skin. Peel the flowering stem and cook it like asparagus. Use the pale inner part. Roots contain saponins, which can harm people. The body absorbs little of these compounds. Long heating breaks them down, but the source does not list roots as food.

The leaves yield fibre for rope, baskets, and mats. Whole leaves can serve as brushes or brooms. The roots, rich in saponins, can serve in place of soap. Plants For A Future records no known medicinal use. It also lists no weed potential. To grow new plants, sow seed in spring. Or take root cuttings in late winter or early spring.