Her dark skin and hair give her a nice earth tone, whichbodes well with Yavanna's Gaia/Tree motif. She has a mature but natural face, that while serious, easily breaks slips into a smile, which fits booth the somber and lively aspects of Yavanna's personality.
I have never seen anything that Ms. Poitier has acted in. Nor had I heard of her before last week. So why would I nominate her for the role of Yavanna.
She's 5'11" making her the tallest actress on this thread by 4 inches.
Her resume is good enough, and she visibly meets the suggestions given to us by our wonderful EPs. Also her dad's a famous actor, so that's something.
Gina Torres. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0868659/
The last time I saw her acting was in "Suits" and she was regal and elegant. But she's also done action, in "Serenity" and in the Matrix movies. She can be warm, she can be tough, she is quite tall (5'10").
She has darker skin that's a nice earth tone for Yavanna, and she has nice thick hair as well. I guess she looks sort of willowy.... Her face seems well suited for Yavanna too, with big dark eyes that could invite sympathy when Yavanna is sorrowing over her creations being marred, and a pleasant, natural looking face. I was impressed with her acting in Little Dorrit and Doctor Who.