Aztec Ruins National Monument, NM
Ethnobotany Series
| ➠ Four-wing Saltbush |
| ➠ Globemallow |
| ➠ Prickly Pear Cactus |
| ➠ Rocky Mountain Bee Plant |
| ➠ Sages |
| ➠ Threeleaf Sumac |
| • Yucca |
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Yucca
One plant that was used extensively by the ancestral Puebloans was the Yucca. There are a number of species of Yucca plant found in the desert southwest, but the ones most commonly found and used by the people here were Narrowleaf Yucca (Yucca angustissima and Yucca glauca).These species can be found in Northern and Western New Mexico, Southwestern Colorado, in the canyon country of Utah, and Northern Arizona. The plants grow in sandy soils and on rocky hillsides, and the leaves can range from 7 to 30 inches in length.
All parts of the Yucca plants were used for a variety of purposes by virtually every group of Indigenous people in this region. The flowers and flower stalks were sometimes eaten raw, baked, or boiled when they were young and tender, and the shoots were even used to make tea to be drunk for weakness or in rituals as a sweat bath ingredient by some tribes.
One of the most important uses was in working the leaf fibers into rope, cordage for blankets, baskets, paintbrushes, and even sandals. Another major part of the yucca that was used was the root, which could be crushed and used for soap.
