Sentence:  The strange yet appealing <WSD>yucca</WSD> is native to the United States, Mexico and the West Indies and is part of the Agavaceae family, many species of which have tough, sword-like leaves. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Any of several evergreen plants of the genus (Yucca), having long, pointed, and rigid leaves at the top of a woody stem, and bearing a large panicle of showy white blossoms.