Yucca baccata is recognized by having leaves 50–76 cm (20–30 in) long[4] with a blue-green color, and short or nonexistent trunks.

It can be found in several habitat types including Pinyon-Juniper, desert grassland, Creosote bush scrub, sagebrush, and ponderosa pine colonies at elevations generally between 1,500 and 2,500 m (4,900 and 8,200 ft).

The plant occurs in a large area of the North American deserts and exhibits much variation across its range.

[13] The young flower stalks can be cooked and eaten, with the tough outer rind discarded.

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked,[4] in the latter case resembling sweet potato.

[7] Ancestral Puebloan peoples used the fibers derived from the leaves to create sandals and cordage, and the root was used as soap, although with less frequency than that of Yucca elata.