Ziziphus jujuba

Spanish dagger or yucca is an evergreen shrub or small tree that is native to coastal plains, dunes and sandy woods from North Carolina to Florida. It is a single stemmed plant that is densely covered with sword-shaped, spine-tipped blue green leaves. Leaves originally appear as a mounded basal clump, but after several years the stem or trunk develops, typically growing to a mature height of 5’ and lifting the leaf clump off the ground. Creamy white, nodding, bell-shaped flowers appear in a dense, massive, upright, terminal panicle in summer. Fruits are elliptical dehiscent capsules. ‘Variegata’ is a compact form of the species that features variegated foliage. Flowers in early summer. Variegated leaves are blue green with gold changing to white margins.