This last element of the interaction may have had significant consequences for Joshua trees’ evolutionary history. The Five-spotted Bogus Yucca Moth has a 11-21 mm wingspan. and the yucca moth (Tegeticula spp.) Crushed roots produce a lather that is great as a soap or shampoo. It is ranked globally as G4 (apparently secure). This white moth is often found hiding within Yucca flowers during the day. Non-pollinating Yucca Moths have a maxillary palp without a maxillary tentacle. This desert plant appears like a cluster of sharp swords pointing out in all directions. Female yucca moths collect pollen in special mouthparts and deliberately apply it to a yucca flower after laying eggs inside it. But there’s one big difference between yuccas growing within their native range versus the non-native transplants …the plant will only produce its big seedpods in its native range. Joshua trees are pollinated by two different species of moths, which occur in different parts of the tree’s range: the larger Tegeticula synthetica in the west, and the smaller T. antithetica in the east. Gray. Larger T. synthetica doesn’t seem to lay eggs in (or pollinate) small-flowered eastern trees, but smaller T. antithetica can occasionally lay eggs in (and pollinate) large-flowered western trees. Dried leaves from this plant can be used to weave baskets, mats, and sandals. There is a dense terminal flowerhead faintly resembling a candle. All yucca plants depend for pollination on nocturnal yucca moths. The moth’s larvae depend on the seeds of the yucca plant for food, and the yucca plant can only be pollinated by the yucca moth. In a paper just released online at Molecuar Ecology ahead of publication, genetic tests on moth larvae provide the latest piece to the puzzle of why there are two kinds of Joshua tree — because the tree’s pollinators need to match its flowers [PDF]. In humans, they are not absorbed by the body and tend to pass through. Lepidoptera: Prodoxidae) mirror patterns of gene flow between host plant varieties of the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia: Agavaceae). Rope is made from the extracted leaf fibers. The flowers attract butterflies. It is a host plant for the Yucca Moth. Molecular Ecology DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2009.04428.x. yucca moth specimens, the two men sparred over Darwinian evolutionary theory at the 6 March 1871 meeting of the academy. Play Value: Attracts Pollinators Wildlife Food Source Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems): Particularly resistant to damage by deer. Raul' reported average numbers of moths ranging from 0.1 to 6.0 per flower in Y. filamentosa (i.e. Mutualistic relationship with the small white yucca moth. The yucca moth community on H. whipplei contains four species that differ in how they interact with the plant and where they feed within the plant. The Yucca Moth is typically 0.4 inches to 0.5 inches (12mm to 13mm) in size and has the following descriptors / identifiers: white, black, gray, white, speckled, spotted, dots, flying, garden pest. 10.6. Out of its center arises the stalk of a bright, beautiful flower that looks something like a white lily. Size. It remains inside the ovary (seed capsule) through the summer and fall, high on a branch of the flower stalk. Flower Size: > 6 inches Flower Description: Pendulous, greenish-white bell-shaped flowers appear on 3-4.5 ft. Leaves: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics: Needled Evergreen Leaf Color: Gray/Silver Green White Leaf Value To Gardener: Showy Leaf Type: Simple Leaf Arrangement: Other/more complex Leaf Shape: Lanceolate Linear Hairs Present: No Leaf Length: > 6 inches (2003). Yucca plants are deer resistant, but they aren’t repulsive to other creatures. One species, Tegeticula maculata, is a mutualistic seed-eating pollinator that feeds on seeds within fruits, and the three other species in the genus Prodoxus are commensalists (Davis, 1967, Powell and Mackie, 1966). In addition to putting on a showy display, the leaves have many practical uses. Lepidoptera: Prodoxidae) mirror patterns of gene flow between host plant varieties of the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia: Agavaceae). 3 years ago. Heat, drought, and soil compaction tolerant. After being lured out of the ground, the yucca moths (Tegeticula yuccasella) in Central Texas spend their days resting on the yucca plants near the flowers. Host specificity and reproductive success of yucca moths (Tegeticula spp. June 12/72’’ (Fig. Incidentally, yucca plants can also be used to boost the health of your local ecosystem. an estimated two to 20 or more per raceme per day), whereas in several southwestern Yucca species, esti mates range from 0.1 to seven or eight Tegeticula per raceme per day', 18 (Kingsolver, PhD thesis). When grown indoors, yucca plants are excellent air purifiers. Birds and bats are common predators of yucca moths. Sharp pointed leaves, 1-2.5' long. Each variety of moth is adapted to a single species of yucca. When the eggs hatch, the moth larvae eat some of the seeds inside the developing fruit.