Prairie Wildflowers and Grasses of North Dakota

Summer Wildflowers

Chris Grondahl photo: Yucca (inset shows flower's "seed pod")
Chris Grondahl Yucca
(Yucca glauca)
Distribution: west of the Missouri River and the counties bordering the river on the east
Habitat: dry, sandy, gravelly or rocky slopes of mixed prairie
Flowers: large, nodding, greenish-white flowers, sometimes tinged with purple, arranged in spikes (elongated clumps)
Height: 1-4 feet
Blooms: mid-June to late July
Family name: Agave (Agavaceae)
Other names: Soapweed, Spanish bayonet
Plant uses and other interesting facts: Yucca moth symbiosis: the Yucca moth is the only insect that can pollinate this plant. After pollination the moth lays it's eggs on the flower. As the larvae hatch they feed on a few of the developing seeds.

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