Ornatec InternationalSpecies reference sheet ยท ornatecinternational.com
Yucca gloriosa
Spanish Dagger
Yucca gloriosa holds stiff, sword-shaped blue-green leaves in dense rosettes on a short trunk, and it holds them without irrigation, in sand, in salt wind and in reflected heat off paving. That combination is why the Spanish Dagger has become a fixture of coastal and arid architectural planting.
In late summer a mature rosette throws a heavy panicle of pendulous cream bells well above the foliage, and older plants branch into multi-headed clumps that read almost as sculpture.
Specifications
- Height2 to 2.5 metres, reaching 4 to 5 metres on older trunked specimens
- Width1.5 to 2 metres
- Native toCoastal dunes of the south eastern United States
- FoliageStiff, sword-shaped blue-green leaves with sharp tips, in dense rosettes; evergreen
- Growth rateSlow
Conditions
- SoilRequires sharply drained sandy soil; tolerates poor, stony and saline ground
- LightFull sun
- WaterVery low; strongly drought-tolerant and damaged by wet feet
- ClimateThrives in arid, coastal, Mediterranean and subtropical regions and is hardy well below freezing
Additional Features
- FlowersTall panicles of pendulous creamy white bells in late summer and autumn
- UsesArchitectural accents, coastal and dune planting, xeriscape and gravel schemes, medians and raised planters
- SpacingPlant 1.5 to 2 metres apart for a mass, or singly as an accent
- Low MaintenanceRemove spent flower spikes and old lower leaves; no irrigation once established
- Pest ResistanceUntroubled in a free-draining position
- Salt ToleranceA dune species by origin, comfortable in direct salt-laden wind
- Drought ToleranceFully drought adapted; the risk in a scheme is overwatering
- FormDense rosettes on short trunks, branching into multi-headed clumps with age
The Spanish Dagger is one of the toughest architectural plants available, holding form on coastal and desert sites with effectively no irrigation.
Availability by project review. Sizes, quantities, origin and export readiness are confirmed after your plant schedule is reviewed against destination, timing and quarantine requirements. MEWA certified for supply into Saudi Arabia; Australian Export Registered Establishment.
Enquiries: sales@ornatecinternational.com
310 Donkin Rd, Utchee Creek QLD 4871, Australia
Prepared 09 September 2026