Cutflower Nomenclature

Scientific/Botanical Name:

Genus: Furcraea

Specie: F. foetida

Variety/Cultivar:

English Name:

 

Common Name:

Giant Cabuya, Green-aloe or Mauritius-hemp, false agave, green aloe, maguey, sisal

Botanical Family:

Name in Latin: Asparagaceae

Name in English: Asparagus Family

The Plant

Origin: Caribbean and northern South America.

Growth Habit: evergreen perennial subshrub, stemless or with a short stem up to 1 m tall.

Flower: The flowers are greenish to creamy white, 4 cm long, and strongly scented; they are produced on a large inflorescence up to 7.5 m tall.

Blooming Period: late summer through fall

Leaf: The leaves are sword-shaped, 1-1.8 m long and 10-15 cm broad at their widest point, narrowing to 6-7 cm broad at the leaf base, and to a sharp spine tip at the apex; the margins are entire or with a few hooked spines.

Usage:

Ornamental Plant. Widely grown for its large striped linear leaves with slight wavy margins. These fleshy leaves, in addition to their attractive bright green to yellow-green coloration

Care and Handling

Soil: A good general purpose potting soil (a soil that retains water yet drains well) with a little added sand

Amount of water: Drench the soil and let it become barely moist between waterings.

Nutrition: Feed only twice a year, once in April and once in July with a water soluble fertilizer.

Special handling:

Special feature/remarks:

The leaves grow or form into a basal rosette starting from the center of this stemless or short-stemmed perennial shrub. In addition to the leaves, Furcraea foetida produces strongly fragrant flowers. These flowers are greenish to creamy-white in color and open a few at a time for several weeks.