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".