Common Name:

General Information

Furcraea martinezii is an evergreen, tree-like succulent plant developing an unbranched trunk that usually reaches 2 - 8 metres tall, exceptionally to 18 metres. The leaves develop as a rosette on top of the trunk[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of fibre. The flowers are used locally to adorn churches during the Christian celebrations of Holy Week. The plant is prized as an ornamental in botanical gardens[].
Furcraea martinezii is a rare micro-endemic species with a total population estimated to be less than 2,500 mature individuals. Additionally, the number of mature individuals is experiencing a continuous decline due to the conversion of many natural landscapes into agricultural-livestock lands, causing direct mortality. Regarding this situation, a reduction of at least 20% is estimated to occur in the next 100 years. The plant is classified as 'Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2020)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southwest N. America - southwest Mexico (Guerrero)

Habitat

Montane forest and lowland moist forest with Pinus, Quercus, Alnus, Ostrya, and Clethra, growing on sandy soils; at elevations from 2,360 - 2,450 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Endangered
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	6.00 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

A fibre, known as 'ixtle', is obtained from the leaves[].

Propagation

Seed -

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