Common Name:

General Information

Furcraea quicheensis is an evergreen, perennial plant with a rosette of thin, non-fleshy leaves up tp 120cm long and 6 - 10cm wide. The plant is stemless when young, but with age it gradually develops a thick, naked trunk up to 1.5 metres long. This trunk sometimes has a few branches, each with a rosette of leaves at their apex.
The leaves are a source of fibre, used as a tying material. They are sometimes sold in local markets for this purpose[].. The plant is often grown as part of a live fence and is also used to stabilize sandy soils. A very ornamental plant, often cultivated for this purpose and for its leaves, which are used as decorations[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Mesoamerica - Honduras, Guatemala to southern Mexico (Chiapas)

Habitat

Open mountain slopes, often on exposed white sand mountain sides, sometimes in oak forest, most often, perhaps, in fencerows, and much planted in some regions for hedges; chiefly at elevations from 2,400 - 3,300 metres[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	2.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

In some parts of the whitesand mountains of San Marcos (Guatemala) it seems that this species has been planted to prevent drifting of the sand that is so hard to control in these desolate regions[].

Other Uses

The leaves contain a tough fibre. Strips of the leaves are much used in parts of Guatemala as a substitute for twine[].,

Propagation

Seed -

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