SPANISH DAGGER (YUCCA) BLOOMS NOW PROTECTED PLANTS

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

U.S. Customs Border Protection

For as long as locals can remember, many residents of South Texas looked forward to the Spring rains when the yucca plants bloomed along the roads and among the mesquite, huisaches, and cactus in the monte.

Also known as Spanish Dagger, they grew especially thick along Highway 48 on the road to South Padre Island and on Highway 4 on the road to Boca Chica Beach. Local residents could simply take a machete and harvest as much as they wanted. 

The plant has been a food source for humans since the first hunters and gatherers inhabited the land. The flowers are edible when picked at the right time, and the fruit of some species is edible when baked or roasted.

In those days, there was little or no concern for the fact that the blooms  known locally as "pitas" were a food source for birds and other wildlife. And local residents could just just go to the mercados in Matamoros to purchase the blooms or from street vendors along Alvaro Obregon. 

Things have changed, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (USCBP). One species endemic to Mexico, Y. queretaroensis, is listed under CITES Appendix II (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), an international agreement between governments which restricts international trade in this rare, endangered plant.

Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species. CITES Appendix II restricts international trade in this species.

In fact, under their purview of agricultural protection at and between official ports of entry travelers are advised that the importation of fresh yucca flowers from Mexico – more commonly known there as chochas or flor de palma – is prohibited.

“We are asking the traveling public not to bring fresh yucca flowers as they will not be allowed to enter,” said Acting Port Director Michael B. Reyes, Brownsville Port of Entry.

Fresh yucca flowers. Commonly encountered during Lent, fresh yucca flowers are prohibited from entry into the United States.

Importations of fresh yucca flowers are prohibited. However, cooked yucca flowers are allowed since the cooking process kills pests within the flower and effectively mitigates the pest risk.

Travelers must declare all animal and plant agriculture products to the inspecting CBP officer. 

Prohibited items that are not declared by passengers are confiscated and disposed of by CBP agriculture specialists. Attempting to bring undeclared prohibited agricultural items can lead to traveler delays and may result in a fine ranging from $300 to $1,000.

CBP agriculture specialists at the ports of entry will determine if these items meet the entry requirements of the United States.

For more information regarding CBP’s agriculture mission, click on the following link. 

And, with most of the areas where the yucca grows now protected in U.S.Fish and Wildlife and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department reserves on the way to Boca Chica and South Padre, the Lenten custom of eating the blooms is becoming a thing of the past.