Yucca – Yucca sp, roadside Eagle Heights.
There are 49 species in the genus, which cover a vast area of the Americas, from Guatemala and Mexico to southern Alberta in Canada.
Most species occur in arid conditions, with the deserts of North America being regarded as the centre of diversity for the genus. The photograph looks like a match for Y filamentosa, which is naturalized in New Zealand.
A prominent botanist criticized my project because the flora content was not confined to native species. Its remit on the mountain’s biodiversity is to include everything that freely grows or moves.
By Peter Kuttner
