Yucca
Yucca flowers and leaves, care for room yucca at home
Description of yucca
Yucca belongs to the tree-like evergreens of the agave subfamily - monocotyledonous plants of the asparagus family. The stem of the plant is ligneous, in some species it is branched. Leaves are formed at the ends of the trunk or branches, they are linear-lanceolate with sharp ends. Large flowers, bell-shaped, white, drooping, collected in a panicle. The fruit of the yucca is in the form of a box or fleshy berry.
Sometimes the stem is almost absent, and the plant is a bunch of large xiphoid leaves. There are many plant species native to the southern United States and Mexico. Many species are found in Central America, cultivated in the southern regions of Europe.
Useful properties of yucca
Yucca is used as a technical plant for the production of durable fiber. The leaves contain steroid sapogenins, which allows the plant to be used in the manufacture of corticosteroid preparations. Antiallergic and anti-inflammatory properties of the plant are known. It contains enzymes, chlorophyll, antioxidants and many other beneficial substances.
Yucca application
The plant is able to activate the functions of the body, increase blood pressure, cleanse the body, and have a beneficial effect on the respiratory system. Yucca is used for metabolic problems, helps to get rid of catarrh, polyps in the intestines. Experience shows that it can be used to relieve inflammation and eliminate pain in arthritis and gout. Natural substances saponins exhibit steroid properties without causing any side effects.
Taking plant-based products increases the body's endurance, reduces blood cholesterol levels. Yucca is also used externally - in dermatology, preparing decoctions from it for the treatment of various dermatous manifestations. Yucca is used to treat eczema, neurodermatitis, lichen planus, psoriasis. The sap of the plant is excellent for treating skin rashes caused by viruses. As part of a special collection, yucca has a therapeutic effect on prostatitis.
A decoction of yucca: for its preparation, you will need to grind and mix 1 part of the root of yucca, hydrangea, burdock, Manchurian aralia, add elm leaves, garden parsley, alfalfa, black cohosh, sessile lobelia, chilli pepper, red clay. Then, to prepare a decoction of 2 teaspoons of this mixture, you need to pour 500 ml of water and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, then insist for 1 hour, strain and drink 0.5 cups 3 times a day. The course of treatment is 1 month.
Yucca fibers are used as a dietary supplement in shampoos and creams. This southern plant calms the nervous system, cleans the air well, absorbs sound, and helps to create an aesthetic environment.
Yucca leaves
The fleshy leaves of yucca contain plant mucus, anthraquinones, the steroid saponin tigogenin. Due to this, the leaves of the plant are used to obtain steroidal saponins used for the synthesis of hormonal corticosteroid drugs that have antiallergic and anti-inflammatory effects. In dermatology, juice is prescribed for external use, parts of the plant - in the form of a decoction for baths for skin diseases that cause dryness and itching.
Yucca flowers
This thermophilic plant blooms at night with beautiful white or creamy bell-like flowers, quite aromatic, reminiscent of the smell of good soap. Fruits appear only in species growing in the wild, since pollination is performed by a butterfly, an inhabitant of the yucca's native places. Due to its medicinal properties, flowers are used to obtain extracts.
Yucca extract
The product extracted from the yucca has a bactericidal, healing effect. Yucca flower extract contains zinc, selenium, sugars, steroid sapogenins. It is used as a beneficial ingredient in some hair and skin care products. It is a unique natural component that helps to normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract by eliminating or reducing flatulence.
Also, the plant extract helps to maintain immunity, renew cells, slow down the aging process, eliminate disorders, thanks to saponins (high molecular weight complex organic compounds of a glycosidic nature) reduces the smell of feces.
Yucca care at home
The plant, according to some sources, does not require special care, the most important thing when growing is to place it in a sunny place and produce moderate watering. On sale you can find rooted cut-off yucca trunks with side shoots and with a not yet mature root system. In order for the plant to develop correctly, it is necessary to withstand the acclimatization period.
Watering is the main process in yucca care. Excessive watering is excluded, this can lead to root rot, plants like spraying. Yucca prefers not very strong sunlight, feeding should be done once every two months.
In winter, it is advisable to cover the tree, especially growing in the northern regions. Yucca is popular all over the world. It is successfully grown on plots by gardeners of the Caucasus and Crimea, it grows and decorates the interior of the plant and in houses. The most commonly cultivated species are garden yucca, aloe-leaf, elephant and filamentous.
How to transplant a yucca? A yucca transplant is performed every two years and only in the spring. To do this, you need to use a soil mixture consisting of clay-sod land and humus (2 parts each), it is possible from peat with river sand (1 part each). Make sure to use good drainage and a large pot. You can propagate yucca by rooting the tops of the stem, parts of the trunk, seeds or daughter rosettes.
Why do yucca leaves turn yellow? Improper care can lead to many problems. Dry air in the room can cause darkening of the leaves, low temperatures - their curling. Brown spots appear on the surface of the leaf with insufficient watering. Since yucca is distinguished by the ability to accumulate water in the trunk, waterlogging of the soil is fraught with the appearance of yellow leaves.
Yucca types
Yucca is indoor. Indoor yucca is grown as an ornamental plant and can also be used for medicinal purposes. The plant is like a palm tree, its height can be up to 4 m, so it is suitable for placement in large halls. This type of yucca requires a deep pot with good drainage. In the summer, the yucca is taken out into the open air, in the winter it is kept in a room with a cool air temperature and sufficiently bright lighting. Indoor yucca will bloom with white flowers after many years. It has green, slightly bluish, xiphoid, linear leaves, collected in a bunch at the top of the trunk.
Incredibly beautiful decorative yucca adorns the flowerbed with its sharp evergreen sword-shaped leaves, and during flowering attracts with a high peduncle with large white bells. It is grown without much difficulty in pots, where it looks very impressive. Young specimens of three years of age are placed in pots with a volume of three liters; for an older representative of the agave genus, a ten-liter container is suitable.
Yucca is aloe leaf. It is the most popular yucca among amateur growers. Its main difference from other species is that it has no side shoots. On its tree-like trunk, covered with notches left over from fallen leaves, grow rather hard, green leaves with a bluish tint, collected in the form of two or three sparse rosettes. They are very sharp, you can even cut yourself on them, so it is better not to keep such plants in places where people move. When choosing this type, it is necessary to observe the correct watering regime, and then it will be possible to grow a healthy and beautiful tree.
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Yucca is filamentous. The inhabitant of the east of North America takes root well at home, as it is resistant to pests, tolerates heat and drought well. It is a stemless plant with bluish-green leaves with a pointed tip, with edges covered with numerous white, thin, curling threads. A flower panicle grows about 200 cm in height, which is made up of yellowish-white drooping flowers. The fruit is rounded. The plant grows quickly and likes to shoot (stolons). In the conditions of a botanical garden, breeders managed to obtain several varieties of this species.
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Yucca is elephant. This is the most interesting species, its height reaches 10 m. An amazing plant, the care of which consists in following some simple rules, is widely used in industry and medicine. Ropes are made from strong fibers, and the juice of the leaves of the plant is used as the basis for some hormonal drugs. The native places of growth of this houseplant are Mexico and Guatemala. The imported stems are cut into fragments, planted in flower pots, they can be bought at any flower shop.
Contraindications to the use of yucca
Yucca has no contraindications, products from it do not cause any side effects.
The author of the article: Sokolova Nina Vladimirovna | Phytotherapist
Education: Diploma in "General Medicine" and "Therapy" received at the Pirogov University (2005 and 2006). Advanced training at the Department of Phytotherapy at the Peoples' Friendship University of Moscow (2008).
