Hesperaloe parviflora

A bold, architectural beauty from the Texas desert, with hummingbird-attracting blooms and year-round form.

Despite its common name, Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) isn’t a true yucca—but this stemless, evergreen perennial brings all the architectural flair and drought tolerance one could want from a desert plant. Native to dry canyons and rocky slopes of west and central Texas, this Southwestern gem is now beloved across mild-climate regions for its striking texture, resilience, and pollinator-friendly flowers.

The plant forms a tidy rosette of slender, arching, gray-green leaves reaching 2 to 3 feet long, often edged with delicate thread-like filaments. From late spring through summer—and often sporadically into fall—it sends up dramatic flower stalks up to 5 feet tall, bearing clusters of coral-pink to reddish tubular blooms that attract hummingbirds in droves.

Hesperaloe parviflora thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, and is ideal for xeriscaping, rock gardens, urban medians, or low-maintenance borders. Though rare in the wild, it’s now widely cultivated and appreciated for its ability to provide year-round structure and vibrant seasonal color with minimal water or care. It is also highly deer-resistant, heat-tolerant, and cold-hardy in USDA Zones 5 to 10, making it one of the most adaptable desert perennials available.

Native Range: Central and western Texas, northeastern Mexico
Foliage: Narrow, gray-green, evergreen, with thread-like margins
Height: 2–3 ft foliage height; flower stalks to 5 ft+
Bloom Time: Late spring through summer
Flower Color: Coral-pink to reddish tubular flowers
Notable Traits: Drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, attracts hummingbirds, cold-hardy
Garden Uses: Xeriscapes, rock gardens, containers, architectural plantings, pollinator gardens