Furcraea spp.

false agaves

Asparagaceae

Mexico, Central America, northern South America, and the Caribbean

Attracts Pollinators Deer Resistant Drought Tolerant Container Friendly

Native to North America

SunFull Sun

WaterLow · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 9–11

Overview

Furcraea spp. is a genus of about 25 species of large rosette-forming succulents in the asparagus family, native to Mexico, Central America, northern South America, and the Caribbean. Plants form a broad rosette of sword-shaped leaves 3 to 8 feet (0.9 to 2.4 m) long, sometimes raised on a short trunk; the leaves are green, fibrous, and edged with either small hooked teeth or a smooth margin depending on species. After 8 to 15 years a single rosette sends up a towering branched flower stalk 20 to 40 feet (6 to 12 m) tall carrying thousands of nodding greenish-white flowers, often mixed with small plantlets called bulbils. Like Agave spp., each rosette is monocarpic, flowering once and then dying, leaving behind bulbils and offsets that continue the clump. The genus is frost-tender and grows only in mild, dry climates or under cover. The leaf sap is rich in saponins and can irritate skin and eyes.

Native Range

Furcraea spp. is native to the warm regions of the Americas, from Mexico and the Caribbean south through Central America to the northern Andes. Species grow on dry, rocky slopes, in scrub, and in seasonally dry woodland. Several have been planted widely in the tropics for fiber and have naturalized outside their original range.

Suggested Uses

Grown as a specimen in dry gardens, succulent and gravel plantings, and large containers in frost-free or sheltered sites. Several species are grown commercially for their leaf fiber, used in rope and cordage. Plants are spaced 4 to 8 feet (1.2 to 2.4 m) apart to allow the rosettes room to develop.

How to Identify

Identified by a large Agave spp.-like rosette of long, fibrous, sword-shaped leaves that are usually softer and less rigid than those of true agaves, with margins either spineless or lined with small hooked teeth rather than a hard terminal spine. The enormous branched flowering stalk, bearing pendulous greenish-white flowers and leafy bulbils, separates Furcraea spp. from Agave spp., whose flowers are typically held upright. Most species lack the sharp tip-spine found on agave leaves.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height3' - 8'

Width/Spread4' - 8'

Reaches mature size in approximately 12 years

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~8 weeks

Summer

Each rosette flowers only once, after 8 to 15 years of growth, then dies. The branched stalk develops over several months, usually in summer, and carries nodding flowers for several weeks. Bulbils that form among the flowers drop and root to grow new plants.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun

Requires 8-12 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.0 - 7.5(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

sand loam rocky

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Low

Frost Tolerance

tender

Time to Maturity

Rosette matures and flowers once after 8 to 15 years, then dies

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Plants grow in full sun and sharply drained sandy, loam, or rocky soil and tolerate drought once established. Water is needed only during extended dry spells, and wet, poorly drained soil causes rot. The genus is frost-tender, damaged below about 28 F (minus 2 C), and is grown in containers moved under cover where winters are cold. Offsets and bulbils are removed and rooted to propagate plants and to manage clump size. The leaf sap can irritate skin and eyes on contact. Scale insects and agave snout weevil are occasional pests.

Pruning

Pruning is limited to removing dead lower leaves and cutting down the spent flower stalk after a rosette finishes blooming and dies. Offsets are dug out to control spread. The leaves are not cut back, as each rosette grows from a single central point.