Adam's needle (Yucca filamentosa) — Plotwright

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Adam's needle

Habit (mature) · Ввласенко / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Limited coverage

Adam's needle

Yucca filamentosa

A virtually stemless, broadleaf-evergreen native of central and eastern North America: a basal rosette of rigid, sword-shaped, spine-tipped leaves up to 30 inches long, fringed along the margins with the curly white threads that give the species its name. In early summer a flowering stalk shoots from the center to 5-8 feet, carrying nodding, bell-shaped, creamy-white flowers. Tough enough for poor sandy soil, heat, drought, and salt spray, it earns its keep as architectural structure in dry and seaside gardens.

Native: 29 US states

Review: Source-backed

Climate fit: broad (77/100)

Structure

Focal point

Border

Light

Full sun / Part shade

Water

Low water

Mature size

48-96" tall · 36" apart

Hardy in zones

5a-10b

very cold to mild winters

Summer heat range

Warm-Extreme

warm to extreme summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.

Native in Illinois

Yes

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A documented larval host for the Skipper butterflies — specialist wildlife that depend on plants like this to reproduce.

Wildlife relationships

Cold hardiness

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Well-suited

2050

Zone 7b

Plotwright

Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)

Well-suited

In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.

✓

Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.

Heat tolerance

°C

°F

Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 45 ecoregions — 44 climate-resilient through 2070 · 1 newly possible by 2070. Best matches first.

Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

Arizona Mountains forests

Atlantic coastal pine barrens

Blue Mountains forests

California coastal sage and chaparral

Canadian Aspen forests and parklands

Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests

Central Tallgrass prairie

Central-Southern Cascades Forests

Sources & citations

Cite this page

For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.

Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Adam's needle (Yucca filamentosa). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/adams-needle-yucca

Sources for every fact

Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited — 18 source-backed.

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder

Botanical research database

Backs 17 fields

Identity

Summary

Plant type

Light

Moisture

Hardiness

Heat zone

Size

Spacing

Habit

Design roles

Seasonal interest

Growth stages

Lifecycle

Regional guidance

Success tips

Designer notes

Wikimedia Commons

Photo · CC BY-SA 3.0

Backs 1 field

Image

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Database

Botanical research database

Community photos

The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.

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