I need assistance identifying what type of palm-like tree we've been growing. My husband's Grandfather brought the original plant home in 1974 from Florida and we've been growing and repotting them for the last 25 years. The leaves are incredibly sharp. They are very hardy and survive Ohio winters living in the basement. We have had them grow up to 5 feet in height. They produce numerous new plants each year.
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2$\begingroup$ Not a palm, looks like a Dracaena. Do a search for Dracaena images and you'll find something close -- Lots of hybrids out there. $\endgroup$– Bryan HansonAug 23, 2022 at 2:35
1 Answer
This is definitely not a palm species as these all have leaves either deeply divided or coming off as leaflets from a stalk.
I think this is a Yucca (Asparagaceae) species. Yucca and the very similar looking, and closely related Dracaena are very similar in appearance, both (depending on species and cultivar) often have sharp, spiky, inflexible leaves coming directly off a stem (i.e. no stalk).
In the case of Dracaena, the leaves fall off the stem leaving a diamond/triangular scar, but Yucca tend to retain the dead leaves and have the new leaves push through the dead ones.
Dracaena stem:
Image attribution: Auckland Museum, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Yucca stem with dead leaves (note similar scar pattern):
Image attribution: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons