There should be a fair number of Yucca species that would be fine in at least the southern Okanagan region. As far as their ability to "naturalize", wouldn't they require certain moth species to pollenate them?

Cheers, Barrie.

There should be a fair number of Yucca species that would be fine in at least the southern Okanagan region. As far as their ability to "naturalize", wouldn't they require certain moth species to pollenate them?

Cheers, Barrie.

Well, there's the yucca moth that hangs around good ol S. Alberta. Don't think it would pollinate a Joshua? I dunno maybe it can?

http://www.pnr-rpn.ec.gc.ca/nature/endspecies/sar/db08s36.en.html

Regards,
Jay

I have had ants pollonate my yuccas a few times and yes the seeds sprouted.

Aaron thanks for sharing that pic of a very mature Joshua tree. Reno and area and the Okanagan valley are very similar desert climates and plant zones. I would think they would be easy to naturalize here as well as Idaho . I will be focussing on Joshua`s and Y.rostratas for bullet proof yuccas to grow here. How old do you figure that Joshua is in the pic fro Reno Aaron?.

John

Hi John,
I think the one in the pic was removed from the wild due to development (just a guess), but I know they grow fast if nursery grown. So I would say maybe 25-30years old if home grown?
My friend has one he got with a permit. It was about 3 and a half tall, that same plant 6 years later is about 7 feet tall? Some don't do much, but other shout for the sky. 😀
There is one in southern NV, when I first saw it back in 1993 it was about 3 foot tall. When I finaly got back down there (2003?) and went through that same small town, I was driving and telling my parents about this cool little joshua. Well I could not belive my eyes when I seen it again. It was about 12 feet tall and huge! I told my parents that "someone must be giving it some water". 😆

I have had ants pollonate my yuccas a few times and yes the seeds sprouted.

Ants you say? ... good, we've got plenty of them here on Vancouver Island. 😀

Cheers, Barrie.

Haven't posted on this thread yet. First off, those are some nice brevifolias. I lost my last one this past winter... I think they become more sensitive to wet when they start to trunk. At least that's my theory!
Nest, about Yucca pollination. No, the Joshua tree should not be able to produce seeds without the 'correct' species of Yucca moth. It was previously believed that there were 1 or 2 species, but recent phylogenetic evidence suggests that there are many different species of mot, and a lot fo them are species specific. I can't seem to find the article otherwise I'd post a link, suffice to say that unless the Yucca is planted widely as an ornamental (i.e. continuous from the native range) then it is unlikey to produce seed outside the native range.
Interesting about the ants... Which species did they pollinate and do you have moths in your area? I ask because thy are small and seem to work in mysterious ways!

Thanks again for sharing the pics!

Well that`s just great now I`ve got to start up a moth farm. 😆 Aaron looks like I`ll have lots to look forward to with the Joshua`s speed of growth you`ve observed. I`ll post some pics of my three year olds.

John

Haven't posted on this thread yet. First off, those are some nice brevifolias. I lost my last one this past winter... I think they become more sensitive to wet when they start to trunk. At least that's my theory!
Nest, about Yucca pollination. No, the Joshua tree should not be able to produce seeds without the 'correct' species of Yucca moth. It was previously believed that there were 1 or 2 species, but recent phylogenetic evidence suggests that there are many different species of mot, and a lot fo them are species specific. I can't seem to find the article otherwise I'd post a link, suffice to say that unless the Yucca is planted widely as an ornamental (i.e. continuous from the native range) then it is unlikey to produce seed outside the native range.
Interesting about the ants... Which species did they pollinate and do you have moths in your area? I ask because thy are small and seem to work in mysterious ways!

Thanks again for sharing the pics!

I know what you mean, I used to tell people that only a yucca moth can pollenate a yucca, I have read all the science papers. That say each yucca has its own sp of moth. Yes this might all be true, but the fact is I have had 3 yucca sp. pollenated by ants and yes the black seeds grew into little yuccas that are bigger now.
My harvester ants did not do it, it was my other ants that did it and I can't find out what sp. they are? They look just like fire-ants but they only have one nobe instead of 2 nobes. So I am still looking for more info. They are an ant that like to feed from aphids and I have noticed that the yucca may not have aghids on them, but they produce something that the ants like when they get thier flower stock. The flower stocks sometimes will be covered with these ants and only will these flowers stocks produce any seed pods with black seeds.
I all most decided to get ride of these aphid loving ants untill I seen that they produce yucca seeds. 😀 These same ants drank something from my big barrel cactus I once had, they liked it and guarded it. This is something science has just began to study with the barrels (ferocactus) and ants.
The 3 yucca sp were y. glauca, y. baccata, y neomexicana, but those are the only yuccas I have had bloom in my yard? They only produce seed if the ants are all over them, most years the ant are not near all of them. I have some that are pollenated from this year. I will take a pic and post it later. 😀

Well that`s just great now I`ve got to start up a moth farm. 😆 Aaron looks like I`ll have lots to look forward to with the Joshua`s speed of growth you`ve observed. I`ll post some pics of my three year olds.

John

John,
Has your 3 year old started growing a trunk yet? I have noticed that around in my garden it seems to take 3 to 5 years to start growing a trunk. 🙂

I almost forgot, those ants one year also pollenated one of my y. filamentosas. So that is 4 yuccas sp. 😀

Haven't posted on this thread yet. First off, those are some nice brevifolias. I lost my last one this past winter... I think they become more sensitive to wet when they start to trunk. At least that's my theory!
Nest, about Yucca pollination. No, the Joshua tree should not be able to produce seeds without the 'correct' species of Yucca moth. It was previously believed that there were 1 or 2 species, but recent phylogenetic evidence suggests that there are many different species of mot, and a lot fo them are species specific. I can't seem to find the article otherwise I'd post a link, suffice to say that unless the Yucca is planted widely as an ornamental (i.e. continuous from the native range) then it is unlikey to produce seed outside the native range.
Interesting about the ants... Which species did they pollinate and do you have moths in your area? I ask because thy are small and seem to work in mysterious ways!

Thanks again for sharing the pics!

I know what you mean, I used to tell people that only a yucca moth can pollenate a yucca, I have read all the science papers. That say each yucca has its own sp of moth. Yes this might all be true, but the fact is I have had 3 yucca sp. pollenated by ants and yes the black seeds grew into little yuccas that are bigger now.
My harvester ants did not do it, it was my other ants that did it and I can't find out what sp. they are? They look just like fire-ants but they only have one nobe instead of 2 nobes. So I am still looking for more info. They are an ant that like to feed from aphids and I have noticed that the yucca may not have aghids on them, but they produce something that the ants like when they get thier flower stock. The flower stocks sometimes will be covered with these ants and only will these flowers stocks produce any seed pods with black seeds.
I all most decided to get ride of these aphid loving ants untill I seen that they produce yucca seeds. 😀 These same ants drank something from my big barrel cactus I once had, they liked it and guarded it. This is something science has just began to study with the barrels (ferocactus) and ants.
The 3 yucca sp were y. glauca, y. baccata, y neomexicana, but those are the only yuccas I have had bloom in my yard? They only produce seed if the ants are all over them, most years the ant are not near all of them. I have some that are pollenated from this year. I will take a pic and post it later. 😀

That's interesting Aaron. Would never thought ants could pollenate yuccas. I have many different types of ants in my yard. 😀

There are little ants at my place, and yup, they seem to like even the youngest y.rostrata seedlings and the slightly older y.rostrata "sapphire skies".
I still think ants are "farming" the aphids for their honeydew on the yuccas.

Grasshoppers are leaving the yuccas alone, but have chewed some holes in one C.debaoensis and a Z.vasquezii.

There's no shortage of moths around here either.
Barb

That's interesting Aaron. Would never thought ants could pollenate yuccas. I have many different types of ants in my yard. 😀

Jay, I hope I have not sounded harsh on here, I am just realy excited about it. 😀
My friend in Twin Falls you met has never had any pollenated, but then again he does not have those ants either. I think someone that studies yuccas should look into it. They only dig into a few of the pods, but still enough to get seed from. I was going to take some pics of them and the pod that I did not burn yet. I cut down the stocks and burned them, the pod fell off a stock and was left on the ground. I will see what I can do tomorrow. 😀

Aaron good to hear about the ants pollinating Yucca sp. Here are some pics of a few of my Joshua trees.

http://groups.msn.com/OkanaganPalms/shoebox.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=478
http://groups.msn.com/OkanaganPalms/shoebox.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=479

John

WOW, John those look awesome. You have a real nack for growing things from seed. They should do realy well when planted. 😀