Furcraea foetida
Common name
Mauritius hemp
Family
Agavaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Herbs - Monocots
Conservation status
Not applicable
Habitat
Terrestrial.
Detailed description
Perennial monocotyledon with fleshy leaves up to 3 m tall, in the agave family. The leaves may or may not be spiny. Flower spikes of up to c. 12 m tall are produced from the centre of each plant. Fruit have not been recorded from the plants on Raoul Island (Sykes 1980), but on the flower spikes numerous small bulbils (vegetative dispersal units) are produced. (West 1996)
Similar taxa
Does not die after flowering unlike Agave americana. F. foetida can be distinguished from F. longaeva by the entire leaf margins and glabrous branches on flowering spike.
Flowering
October
Flower colours
Green, Yellow
Year naturalised
1966
Origin
South America, Brazil
Etymology
foetida: Stinking
Reason For Introduction
Agricultural
Life Cycle Comments
Perennial. it is considered to have significantly affect on indigenous communities in the long term, though it can’t spread quickly (Ewen Cameron 1996).
Reproduction
Spreads vegetatively
Seed
Not seen in NZ
Dispersal
The bulbils drop off and roll away or land on pohutukawa branches and sprout. (West 1996)