Sedona Flora - Manzanita And Banana Yucca
1,796 views · Published 25 February 2017 · 2:58 · Indexed 19 October 2026
Channel: Life The Basic Manual · 2017 · Education
Continuing his playlist that unfolds the voice of Sedona through a closer relationship with its elements, Robin introduces us to two of its commonly occurring plants, manzanita and banana yucca. In this piece, he films in an area that demonstrates a very usual mix of tree, shrub, and cacti. Manzanita is a common name for many species of the genus Arctostaphylos. The name comes from the Spanish diminutive ‘little apple’ - a reference to the berries the shrub produces after flowering in spring. It is an evergreen plant which is extremely drought-tolerant. Manzanita is ubiquitous in the Sedona area, and one of the most easily identified of the mixed shrubs, due to its smooth, dark-red bark and twisting branches. Its berries are an important food source for wildlife. Native peoples used the shrub’s leaves as medicine and its berries as food. Banana Yucca also bears an edible fruit, reminiscent of a banana - hence its common name. It is a common species of yucca native to the deserts of southwestern United States. It flowers in the spring, producing striking flowers which range in colour from white to cream with purple shades. The Paiutes dried the banana-like fruits for use during the winter. One of the aspects of the desert landscape of Sedona that often surprises first-time visitors is the varied and diverse life that flourishes in its pinyon-juniper habitat. Robin reminds us that by forming an appreciate of these life forms, these beings, we can approach a greater understanding of, and intimacy with, the land we share with its other inhabitants.
