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Useful Tropical Plants

Furcraea selloa

K.Koch

Asparagaceae

+ Synonyms

Furcraea flavoviridis Hook.

Furcraea lindenii Jacobi

Common Name: Maguey

Furcraea selloa
Plant growing at the Jardin botanique, Barcelona
Photograph by: Dinkum
Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication
Furcraea selloa Furcraea selloa Furcraea selloa

General Information

Furcraea selloa is a succulent, evergreen, perennial plant producing a rosette of leaves about 120cm long from a short woody trunk that 10 - 12cm in diameter[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for the fibre obtained from its leaves. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental, particularly in its variegated form.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Range

Northern S. America - Colombia and Ecuador.

Habitat

; at elevations from 900 - 1,300 metres.

Properties

Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitEvergreen Shrub
Height1.20 m
Cultivation StatusOrnamental, Wild

Cultivation Details


Requires a well-drained soil and a sunny position[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Plants are monocarpic - they live for a number of years without flowering, then put all their energy into flowering and die afterwards[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The leaves are a source of an excellent fibre[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
]. It is possible that this report should actually refer to Furcraea samalana instead of this species[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].

Propagation

Seed - rarely produced[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Plants frequently produce large numbers of bulbils, which root and grow into new plants when they fall to the ground[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. These bulbils have the capacity to remain viable for a number of years, even in unfavourable conditions[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-12-06. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Furcraea+selloa>

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