About: I'm a gardener, and have been one for the past twenty or so years. I also tend to dabble in a great many other things.

The Yucca plant can be found in many locations throughout the American West, and is native to arid places in North America, South America, Central America, and the Carribean. It's very hard to mistake the genus for something else. A bushy clump of sword-shaped spikes promise pain to any creature who would dare touch the white flowers that blossom on a central stalk.

Up on Mesa Verde, many years ago, the ancient Pueblo (according to wikipedia, and tour guides) cultivated the Yucca plant for fibre, and foodstuff. Dried Yucca flowerstalks are also an excellent firestarter for the bow and drill method.

The US Forestry service notes that approximately 40% of the mass of the Yucca leaf is recoverable as fibre. This makes it a prime source for survival cordage. I did some more research after returning home from Colorado, and found that the species of Yucca used in this instructable is Banana Yucca, or Yucca Baccata, a plant of many uses. Yucca Baccata has the strongest internal fibre of all Yucca plants, and is quite common across the American Southwest. Link to Database Entry on Yucca Baccata

I won't go into all the specific uses, but understand that a yucca cord is easy to make with few or no man-made tools in hand. The cord I have made so far is easily 15+ lb breaking strength, for only a few twisted fibres. In the following steps I will explain how to harvest and prepare the fibre for further use. Due to the slow growth rate, I recommend you reserve Yucca cordage for critical applications only.

Disclaimer: None of the Yucca used in this Instructable was harvested where the gathering of wild plants is prohibited.