Red | Yellow | Scarlet Yuccas

Scarlet Yucca

This may be absolutely the most beautiful Yucca of all.

Hesperaloe parviflora is commonly known as Red Yucca. This is a succulent which will reach 3 to 4 feet tall. Yucca clumps spread slowly by sending out new plants. The rose-pink flowers of the Red Yucca will 5 feet at maturity. Each rosette flowers once to be replaced. The effect is that a flower stem will have a long bloom period in Texas of June through early August for mature Yuccas.

Red Yuccas Established Groves in Commercial Planting at UTD

Scarlet Yucca is simply another common name for Hesperaloe parviflora, referring to the vivid red coloration of the flowers. It is not a separate cultivar or species. Any mention of scarlet yucca usually refers to the standard red form already recognized as a Texas Superstar®.

Yuccas are drought tolerant but may require water during extreme drought. Certainly a bit of irrigation will maintain a greener appearance through the long hot Texas summer.

Yellow Yuccas with Rain Tree and Red Yuccas

There are over 150 varieties of Yuccas. It is easy to become confused about Yuccas! red yucca is the most widely adapted and formally recognized for Texas landscapes, with broad climate tolerance and strong flowering. Yellow yucca, while not formally awarded, offers unique color and the same structural value and resilience. Both are highly recommended for low-maintenance, drought-hardy Texas gardens. Scarlet yucca is simply a synonym for the red-flowered form.

Yuccas are native to the Chihuahuan desert of west Texas east and south into central and south Texas and northeastern Mexico around Coahuila. Yuccas are also known as False Red Yucca, Texas Red Yucca, Samandoque, Coral Yucca Red Flower Yucca and Hummingbird Yucca.

Yuccas Bloom with Lavender Vitex Tree in Texas

Red and Yellow Yuccas with Russian Sage (purple). The Yellow Yucca, like the Scarlet Yucca is a more compact Yucca.

Red Yucca with Purple Shamrock and Golden Lantana.

Crimson Yuccas and Yellow Yuccas are more compact than Red Yuccas. Seen here blooming with loropetalum.

Crimson Yuccas are more compact than Red Yuccas. Seen here blooming with loropetalum.

Red Yucca and Mexican Feather Grass

Red Yucca and Mealy Blue Sage Blooming Mid-May Texas Cacti and Perennials

Red Yuccas, Mealy Blue Sage and Russian Sage

I believe the scarlet Yuccas are from a controlled breeding program conducted at Mountain States Wholesale Nursery in Litchfield Park, Arizona. The scarlet Yucca resulting plant is more compact habit in its stems and flowering and more scarlet in its coloroing. ‘Perpa’ is patented and was first released by Mountain States Wholesale Nursery in the spring of 2011.

Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) is not a true yucca but a Texas native succulent valued for its drought tolerance, long bloom season, and low maintenance needs. It produces tall spikes of tubular, coral-red to pink flowers from late spring through summer, with occasional rebloom into fall. The blooms are highly attractive to hummingbirds. The plant forms a clump of narrow, grass-like evergreen leaves and is well-suited to full sun, poor soil, and extreme heat. In 2022, red yucca was named a Texas Superstar® plant by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, a designation reserved for landscape plants that perform reliably statewide under minimal input. Red yucca is hardy in USDA Zones 6 through 13, making it a strong performer across all regions of Texas, from arid West Texas to humid East Texas when planted in well-drained soil.

Yellow Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora ‘Yellow’) is a cultivar of the red yucca, distinguished by its bright yellow tubular flowers. It shares the same narrow, arching evergreen foliage and clumping form, and it blooms from mid-spring through early fall. It performs well in xeriscapes and pollinator gardens and is also drought-tolerant and low maintenance. However, it has not received the Texas Superstar® designation. Its color makes it a desirable accent in mixed desert or native plantings. Like the red variety, it prefers full sun, excellent drainage, and minimal irrigation once established. It is hardy in USDA Zones 6 through 11.