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What types of yucca are used for cordage, as soap, etc?

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Tetsuoh:

I'm asking because our nursery catalog had Yucca Filamentosa (Adam's needle, common yucca, Spanish bayonet,[4] bear-grass, needle-palm, silk-grass, and spoon-leaf yucca)

We had our two come in today, are sitting happy in their planters.

tipi stuff:
I'll bet the  filamentosa would work. I think the species I use is louisianensis, or something to that effect. This time of year, the flowers are starting to come out. You can eat them, but blow the bugs out and blanch them to get the bitterness out of them. They have a kind of waxy texture. You can cord the leaf fibers, soap the roots and use the flower stalks for friction fires. I love yucca. Curtis

bowtarist:
Whatever the old timers brought here to Indiana is what I use. Can't kill the stuff. I dug up two big ol mandrak roots this spring. Interested in the soap. Got any details on that? The cordage is good, I make necklaces out of green dried fibers, and have retted some too. It came out nice and white. Let's hear about the yucca soap!! dp

tipi stuff:
Bowtarist, with this yucca we use, dig up the roots (I usually rinse the off a bit), pound them up with a hammer and the swish it around in the water. Ive used it to soap deer deer hides before braiding them. It was used for that a long time ago; helps break down any grease in the hide. I've also used it for washing my hair, but it doesn't lather up as well as commercial shampoo. It will clean your hair as well; just doesn't lather as much. It is great for scrubbing out pots and pans while you are camping. For the longest time I had tried to always use it freshly dug, but I've discovered that it can be dried also.     
             Curtis
Oh, you are supposed to be able to use it as a fish stun also, but I've not tried that one. It's not legal here in the States.  CC

bowtarist:
Cool tipi, I know the Hopi used it for washing hair. I have that big root, I may give it a try this weekend. Thanks for the info. dp

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