This moth is the only insect that has success in pollinating the yucca flower and developing fruit and is the moths' only food source. It takes one medium-sized plant to make enough for 12 shampoos. How to Use: You can crush the roots of the plant to make a thick, soapy lather. USA: 4 to 10; UK H4, hardy to –10°C. What you’ll need to search for are yuccas in bloom. Herb: Soapweed Latin name: Yucca glauca Synonyms: Yucca angustifolia Family: Agavaceae (Century-plant Family) Medicinal use of Soapweed: A soap made from the crushed roots is said to be an effective treatment for dandruff and skin irritations. Its roots are used to make soap. It is a host plant for the Yucca Moth. These will be used to create the cordage. While this prolific plant doesn’t provide us with copious amounts of calories, at certain times of the year it does offer a small snack. The various species of yucca — some of which are known today as Spanish bayonet, Adam's-needle, soapweed, datil, whipple or dagger plant — were of prime economic importance to … Surely Lewis and Clark would have been fascinated by the symbiosis of the yucca and the moth, could they have but observed it. Another way to use yucca as cordage is to put the naturally spiked end of the plant to work. Dosages of Yucca: Suggested Dosing. The roots are rich in saponins and can be used as a soap substitute[82, 85, 95]. The soap … Native Americans used the fiber of the soaptree yucca's leaves to make sandals, belts, cloth, baskets, cords, and mats, among other items; they also ate the flowers. The flowers are spectacular. The sharp leaf points have been used as sewing needles. When digging, give a fairly wide berth around the plant to get as much of the root as possible. When the first European Americans came through this land in large numbers, it was only to pass through our Great American Desert. Soapweed yuccas are usually as alert as porcupines caught in tight corners: hemispherical and fierce. Soapweed Yucca Information The Native Americans of the Great Plains valued soapweed yucca (Yucca glauca), using it for aches and pains, sprains, inflammations, and also to staunch bleeding. The lance-like leaves are stiff, coarse, and sharp but worth the blood-letting for the tall spikes of whitish pendulant flowers. Mule deer in this area also consumed smaller amounts of soapweed yucca during the spring and summer [ 16 ]. Soapweed, Yucca glauca, also had historical significance to indigenous people as a medicinal and fiber source. Yucca flowers. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images Native to drier sites of the Great Plains. To make soap you’ll first have to gather some yucca root. Once your water is added, begin to mash the roots. Common name: soapweed. Next, dice the root into smaller portions. Soapweed Yucca. With your yucca root chopped into smaller pieces, drop them into a sturdy container and add a small bit of water. The portion to use is the woody stalk at the center of the plant. In truth though, our great grassland can in fact be a difficult place to scratch a living from the land. Photo: James St. John, Wikipedia Commons. Nutritional Value of Yucca Root Agavaceae Yucca glauca Nutt. Yucca is used for osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, migraine headaches, inflammation of the intestine (), high cholesterol, stomach disorders, diabetes, poor circulation, and liver and gallbladder disorders. There is an obvious lack of timber and running water, two things that have always been vital for human settlement. Perhaps the most well-known use of soapweed yucca is where it derives its name; making soap. Above: Soapweed Yucca flowering in a meadow in early June. Please Come Join Us at Softtracks.org, Follow Soft Tracks Outdoors on WordPress.com. ), hereafter referred to as yucca, is a native perennial shrub found throughout much of Nebraska and the Great Plains (Figure 1) including central Canada and the Texas Panhandle. One of the most alluring aspects of learning about skills of the past is the new perspective you develop about the world. That being said, here are the 4 uses of soapweed yucca that you can begin to experiment with. Botanical Name: Yucca glauca. This Spring I'll replant it in a raised bed filled with soil that's gritty and lean. However, what we classify as a nuisance, can quickly be turned into a benefit with a change in perspective. Soapweed engages in a mutualistic relationship with its pollinator, the Yucca Moth, whose larvae depend on Soapweed fruit as a food source; this is a relatively rare type of interaction. Once the plant is removed from the soil, take a few minutes to shave off the woody exterior of the root. Botanical Name: Yucca glauca. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Historically, this area has always been one of low human population. Soapweed yucca was a traditional Native American medical plant, used by the Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Lakota, and other tribes.. I’m sure you can cook the leaves somehow, but enjoying them off the plant provides a refreshing snack on a hot day. Mix this with the water and soon you’ll have a very foamy soap you can use as needed. You can also make a fine soap if you want to experiment with primitive skills. Select healthy green leaves. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Yucca is used for osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, migraine headaches, inflammation of the intestine (), high cholesterol, stomach disorders, diabetes, poor circulation, and liver and gallbladder disorders. After the quick process you’ll be holding an all-natural needle and thread in your hand. Personally, I’ve had the best luck using yucca as a hearth board and a mullein spindle when practicing my hand drill. Soapweed yucca is a Great Plains species that grows as far west as Wyoming and Montana. Leaves are also soaked in water to soften them and made into rope by knotting them together. The leaves can be split and used to make baskets[257]. These plants have a long history of beneficial use. The smaller you make the pieces, the easier making soap will be. Follow Blog via Email. Botanical Name: Chlorogalum … It has one of the lowest combustion temperatures of any wood, which makes it a great wood choice. The stiff, narrow and pointed leaves are 20 to 50 cm in length. Best results were obtained from seed stored at 40 Soapweed yucca is used to make shampoo and soap, and the leaves are woven into baskets. Top In a land that may seem bleak, knowing the uses of soapweed yucca is a must. The stiff, pointed leaves could be split and used to make baskets. The root of the non-flowering plant is used to make medicine. Plant Height (Inches): 36 to 72 Plant Spread (Inches): 24 to 36 Time of Bloom: Mid to late summer Flower Details: White Leaf Foliage: Green The tough woody flower stems emerge from a dense clump of long, narrow, sword-shaped leaves, and the flower stem persists long after the flowers have died back and often remain present when the new flowers appear the following year. For good reason too. It has thin green leaves that terminate with a sharp needlelike point. Also called soapweed because its roots can be used to make soap. Another of the many uses of soapweed yucca to start friction fires. The trunk is brown, cylindrical in shape and has a small diameter and often has holes drilled by escaping yucca moth larvae. Generally, use by deer is fairly light, although Dusek reported that soapweed yucca represented up to 20% of winter mule deer diets in portions of north-central Montana. Yucca glauca inflorescence.jpg 494 × 749; 169 KB. Making your own yucca shampoo is easy. It is another thing entirely to practice it. Prior to European settlement, Native Americans used yucca for food, fiber, and shampoo. You'll see things you never saw before, and begin to see abundance where you once saw only … Continue reading 4 Uses of Soapweed Yucca, a Blessing on the Plains. Uses. ( Log Out /  Incidentally, yucca plants can also be used to boost the health of your local ecosystem. Yucca glauca is an evergreen Shrub growing to 1.5 m (5ft) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in) at a slow rate. Be sure to shake them out, as the creases of the flower are a great place for insects to roost. They are excellent as specimen plants. Prior to European settlement, Native Americans used yucca for food, fiber, and shampoo. To do so, pound the leaf between two pieces of wood. It’s a member of the agave family with pale green dagger-like leaves and bell-shaped flowers. As with any wood, make sure to select dead and seasoned stalks. The point is strong and sharp enough to punch through denim, and can sew up nearly anything. Yucca glauca fh 1178.62 SD B.jpg 640 × 427; 361 KB. One plant that people of the plains have traditionally found very useful is the ever-so-common soapweed yucca. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Rosette of … The 50- to 100-cm flower stalk that emerges from the middle of the plant is topped by a cluster of creamy white, 5-cm flowers. It grows in dry rocky soils throughout the Great Plains and is most abundant in short grass prairies and desert grasslands. Soapweed yucca (Yucca glauca Nutt. The common name Small Soapweed stems from this trait. It is in leaf all year, in flower from July to August. In some cases, yucca has even been woven into baskets or been a key ingredient in fiber that can be twisted into rope. The root of the non-flowering plant is used to make medicine. A slick soap-like fluid in … Prior to the migration of European Americans, Native American societies called these grasslands home. Perhaps the most well-known use of soapweed yucca is where it derives its name; making soap. To use the natural needle on each yucca leaf, you still have to get the outer layer off the leaf to bare open the fibers. This quick and easy cordage surely wasn’t lost on the ancestral people of this land. Incidentally, yucca plants can also be used to boost the health of your local ecosystem. Yucca alone has more than 40 species. As you can see, soapweed yucca is a very useful plant. Then this yucca … These will be used to create the cordage. Yucca roots have a high concentration of saponins and thus has uses for the production of soap and shampoo. The fruit is a dry capsule that contains thin, flat, disc-shaped seeds that are light enough to be dispersed by wind. Soapweed yucca is often used to make soaps and shampoos. There are even some types of yucca that can be used as fire starters! Soapweed yucca is one of about 40 yucca species, all of which are native to the New World. ( Log Out /  Inside the trunk and roots of the plant is a soapy substance high in saponins. Anyone who has walked across the yucca covered plains will testify to the prickly nature of the plants. Pound the entire leaf except the last 2 or 3 inches. Yucca is the common name for the more than 40 species of plants in the Yucca genus. No typical dosing guidelines; Traditionally 380-490 mg of powdered yucca stalk or root two to three times daily reference this article I penned for Offthegridnews.com. Yucca has strong and fibrous leaves that make it ideal for that sort of use. Came through this land personally, I ’ ve had the best using. 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