User:Iabarno/Yucca schidigera

Uses[edit]
Moths gather pollen from the flowers and deposit it on the stigma of a flower, the ovary of which they lay their eggs in; the larvae eat of the fruit capsule as it grows, but leave behind some seeds to develop into fruit.

The fibers of the Yucca schidigera leaves were used by Native Americans to make rope, cloth, and sandals. The flowers and fruit were eaten either raw or roasted, and the black seeds were ground into a flour. The roots were used to make soap. Some reports claim that Native Americans washed their hair with yucca to fight dandruff and hair loss. Among the other maladies this yucca has been used to treat are headaches, bleeding, gonorrhea, arthritis and rheumatism.

Currently extracts from this plant are in animal feed and various herbal medications. The rigid flower stalk of the yucca, after maturation, is used as a substitute for eucalyptus stems or logs to make didgeridoos. It is also used as a natural deodorizer, and is used in pet deodorizers. Steroid saponins are produced commercially from Yucca schidigera that can be used as naturally-derived food grade surfactant. Yucca Schidigera is an ingredient that is found in a quarter of dog food sold. It is mainly included in their food to reduce the waste-odor of most pets.

Researches have also found that the ingestion of Yucca schidigera have decreased the blood cholesterol of human and chickens, increased vitamin and mineral absorption in animals, and increased cattle reproduction.

Fire Ecology
Post fire, the Mojave Yucca produces sprouts eagerly and the regeneration of the seedlings are witnessed. The fire regime is defined predominantly by heavy crop vegetation that take part in carrying the fire in the ecosystem. Over time, the invasive species that have been introduced to the ecosystem, such as grasses, have turned more fire tolerant, increasing the fire frequency and altering the fire regime that existed in the past

Early Accounts categorize the fire regime of the Mojave Desert as arid grassland and shrubland communities. For the occurence of fire, the ecosystem was dependent on winter precipitation, where the Yucca schidigera was tolerant, rarely harmed. However, the introduction of nonnative grasses led to a higher return fire interval, where the survival rate of the Yucca schidigera after the occurrence of fire is low.

The Yucca schidigera is mostly damaged and killed by fire. There is little evidence of surviving tissue post fire.