Plant in full sun to light shade in a fairly well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally in summer months - can tolerate more water if soil drains. Cold hardy to 10-15° F and useful down to USDA Zone 7. Remove the older tattered leaves to show off the trunk. An interesting drought tolerant plant that is safer than most other yucca because its leaves are pliable and the sharp leaf tip is pointed down and not out, so it can be used near walkways, in borders or along driveways, in rock gardens or in large containers.

Yucca recurvifolia is native to the southeastern US from Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia where it can often be found in sandy habits such as on coastal sand dunes and in beach scrub. The name Yucca was given to the genus by Linnaeus, perhaps by mistake, as it is the Latinized derivation of "yuca", the Caribbean name for Cassava (Manihot esculenta) an unrelated plant in the Euphorbia family that is native to the Caribbean area. Interestingly it was also Linnaeus who applied the name Manihot to Yuca. The specific epithet is from the Latin words 'recurvea' meaning "curved backwards" and 'folia" meaning "leaf" in reference to its backward curving leaves. Other common names include Pendulous Yucca and Soft Leaf Yucca.

We grew this plant from 1982 until 1998. It has long been grown in California gardens with older specimens spreading out into small colonies and taking on dramatic forms. For many years nurseries called this plant by the invalid name Yucca pendula var. glauca and later as Yucca recurvifolia. Under this Yucca recurvifolia name it received the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden in 1993. The Flora of North America lists this taxon as Yucca gloriosa var. recurvifolia, but the most recent treatment of the genus Yucca by Dr. Joachim Thiede (Institute of Botany and Botanical Garden of the University of Hamburg) in The Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants (2020) and the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew database has all such names considered to be synonymous with Yucca gloriosa var. tristis. We have also grown variegated cultivars of this plant such as the beautiful Yucca Bright Star and Yucca 'Gold Ribbons'. 

The information about Yucca gloriosa var. recurvifolia displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.