Plants caulescent, arborescent, 1.2-4.5 m. Stems 1-2.5 m. Leaf blade 30-95 × 0.4-1.3 cm. Inflorescences paniculate, 7-15 dm; branches 0.7-2.5 dm; peduncle 1-2 m. Flowers: tepals 4.5-5.7 × 1.3-3.2 cm; filaments 2-2.5(-3.2) cm; anthers 3.2-4.8 mm; pistil 2.8-3.2 cm. Capsules 5-8.2 × 2.5-4 cm. 2n = 30.

Flowering spring--early summer. Desert hillsides, grasslands; 400--1900 m; Ariz., N.Mex., Tex.; n Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora).

Yucca elata var. elata is quite variable according to both S. D. McKelvey (1938-1947) and J. M. Webber (1953). The plants are arborescent with peduncles and inflorescences shorter than to as long as the stems, and are found from west Texas through southern New Mexico and southeastern and central Arizona. Hybrids between Y. elata and Y. glauca, Y. constricta, and Y. baileyi are thought to occur in areas of sympatry (J. M. Webber 1953).