Furcraea foetida (L.) Haw. APNI*
Description: Shrubby plant with stem to 50 cm high.
Leaves ± narrow-lanceolate, 1.2–1.5 m long, 7–16 cm wide, tapering into a brown apical spine 4–8 cm long, margins entire or with hooked teeth towards base; lamina succulent, glossy green.
Scape robust, 2–6 m high; panicle many-flowered, 1–3 m high; pedicels 3–5 cm long. Flowers 3–4 cm long, whitish on inside, greenish outside. Tepals all similar, 2.5–3.5 cm long. Stamens c. 1.5 cm long.
Fruit not seen. Bulbils develop on inflorescence branches after flowers have fallen.
Flowering: autumn.
Distribution and occurrence: Cultivated, occasionally naturalized and it is difficult to eradicate because of the large number of bulbils produced from each plant, bulbils form new plants which are often blown into neighbouring areas; naturalized in bushland around foreshores of Sydney Harbour and recorded for Brunswick Heads.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *LHI
Other Australian states: *Qld
Text by G. J. Harden Taxon concept: P.S. Green (1994)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data ***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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