The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital has issued a warning to be careful around the common garden plant, the yucca.

Yucca, which have long stiff leaves with sharp tips, have become a staple in gardens around Australia for their dramatic shape and spectacular white flowers, and for their ability to thrive in even the harshest conditions.

The Hospital says the plant has been involved in 28 cases of ear trauma since August 2012. Most cases have involved the leaves perforating an ear drum, and four cases have involved the leaves penetrating the inner ear, causing permanent hearing loss.

The report was published in the UK journal 'Clinical Otolaryngology', and states that the yucca’s sharp leaf spines are responsible for an increasing number of ear injuries, and they said some cases may not be reported.

Professor Stephen O’Leary, one of the authors of the report, told the Sydney Morning Herald that when people attempt to move the plant they may shield their eyes by turning their head, causing their ear to be up against the plant.

He said if someone becomes dizzy after being stabbed by a yucca leaf, they should go straight to hospital.

He suggested gardeners should trim their yucca leaves to reduce the risk of injury.

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