Furcraea is a genus of succulent plants belonging to the family Asparagaceae,[4] native to tropical regions of Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and northern South America. Some species are also naturalized in parts of Africa, the United States (Florida), Portugal, Thailand, India, and Australia, as well as on various oceanic islands.[3][5][6] Plants of this genus are the origin of fique or cabuyo, a natural fiber.

Furcraea
Furcraea foetida in Hawaii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Agavoideae
Genus: Furcraea
Vent.[1]
Type species
Furcraea cubensis
(Jacq.) Vent.[2]
Synonyms[3]
  • Funium Willemet
  • Fourcroya Spreng.
  • Roezlia Laurentius

Species

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Image[3] Scientific name Distribution
Furcraea acaulis (Kunth) B.Ullrich Venezuela
  Furcraea andina Trel. in L.H.Bailey Peru, Ecuador
Furcraea antillana A.Álvarez Cuba, Hispaniola
Furcraea boliviensis Ravenna Bolivia
  Furcraea cabuya Trel. tropical Mexico, Central America, Venezuela
Furcraea depauperata Jacobi Mexico but apparently extinct
  Furcraea foetida (L.) Haw. (Mauritius Hemp) southern Caribbean; widely cultivated and naturalized elsewhere
Furcraea guatemalensis Trel. southern Mexico, Central America
Furcraea guerrerensis Matuda Guerrero
  Furcraea hexapetala (Jacq.) Urb., (Cuban Hemp) southern Mexico, West Indies, Venezuela, Ecuador, Galápagos
  Furcraea longaeva Karw. & Zucc. Puebla, Oaxaca
  Furcraea macdougallii Matuda Puebla, Oaxaca, Chiapas
Furcraea martinezii García-Mend. & L.de la Rosa Guerrero
Furcraea niquivilensis Matuda ex García-Mend Chiapas
Furcraea occidentalis Trel. Peru
  Furcraea parmentieri (Roezl) García-Mend. southern Mexico
Furcraea quicheensis Trel. Chiapas, Guatemala, Honduras
Furcraea samalana Trel. Chiapas, Guatemala, El Salvador
  Furcraea selloa K.Koch (Wild Sisal) Colombia, Ecuador; naturalized in Tamaulipas, Florida, Andaman Islands, India, Queensland
Furcraea stratiotes Petersen Nicaragua
Furcraea stricta Jacobi Trinidad, Colombia, Brazil
  Furcraea tuberosa (Mill.) Aiton (Female Karata) West Indies; naturalized in South Africa
Furcraea undulata Jacobi tropical Mexico, El Salvador

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Ventenat, Etienne Pierre. 1793. Bulletin des Sciences, par la Societe Philomatique 1: 65-67 in Latin
  2. ^ lectotype designated by Britton, Flora of Bermuda 80 (1918)
  3. ^ a b c Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  4. ^ Stevens, P.F., Angiosperm Phylogeny Website: Asparagales: Agavoideae
  5. ^ Biota of North America Program, 2013 county distribution maps, Furcraea spp.
  6. ^ García-Mendoza, A. 2000. Revisión taxonómica de las especies arborescentes de Furcraea (Agavaceae) en México y Guatemala. Bol. Soc. Bot. México 66: 113–129