This section is from the book "The Gardener's Monthly And Horticulturist V20", by Thomas Meehan. See also: Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long.
Just why the Yucca bac-cata should be called "Rocky Mountain Banana" it is hard to tell. Perhaps it is for the same reason that we have " Rocky Mountain hats, " and Rocky Mountain all sorts of things. At any rate this is what an English friend tells us:
"At a recent meeting of the Linnaean Society, Mr. J. R. Jackson exhibited specimens of fruits, leaves and portions of the stem (used as a substitute for soap) illustrating peculiarities of Yucca baccata, Torrey. This plant extends from South Colorado far into Mexico. Northwards acaulescent, southwards it developes a trunk ten feet high. The fruit, a dark purple berry, is preserved and eaten as Winter provision, and the plant is commonly known as the Rocky Mountain Banana".
 
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