Joshua tree

This is a large treelike plant, Yucca brevifolia, found in the Southwestern United States. It has sword-shaped leaves and greenish-white flowers and gets its name from a Biblical allusion (Joshua 8:18). The branches of the Joshua tree extend widely and they reminded early settlers in the Southwest of the Biblical passage: “And the Lord said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward [the city of] Ai.”