Title: Are Cassava & Yucca the Same? | Home Guides | SF Gate
Headings: Are Cassava & Yucca the Same?
Are Cassava & Yucca the Same?
Physical Appearance of Cassava and Yucca
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Taxonomy of Yucca and Cassava
Differences in Culture
Are Yucca and Cassava Poison?

Content: Yucca plants also require full sun, but tolerate partial shade and adapt to a variety of soil conditions, although they prefer rich, moist soils. Yuccas may be propagated from seeds, or grown from rhizomes, stem cuttings or from offsets taken from established plants. A distinct difference between cassava plants and yucca plants is how each is pollinated. While cassava may be pollinated by a variety of insects, yucca has a mutualistic relationship with the yucca moth. In this relationship, the yucca plant is only pollinated by this moth and one cannot survive without the other. Are Yucca and Cassava Poison? While parts of both plants are edible, cassava roots must go through thorough processing due to the presence of toxic components such as cyanogenic glucocides, linamarin and lotaustralin. All parts of the cassava plant contain cyanogenic glucosides, but the highest concentrations are in the leaves, and these are toxic to both human and animals. Yucca plants are not as toxic as cassava, but the roots of Buckley’s yucca (Yucca constricta) contain saponins, which can be mildly toxic to humans. However, they’re usually poorly absorbed by the body and do not cause irritation unless a person is allergic to them.