A highly dramatic, architectural plant even out of bloom.
When they bloom---and they only bloom once---the giant infloresc...Read Moreence is the largest of any flowering plant. No wonder they die afterwards, as if in exhaustion.
Bulbils formed on the flowering scapes may be used to propagate new plants. Toppled trunks are also said to form offsets.
I purchased Furcraea macdougalii in Sept 2010 as a curiosity at H & H Nursery in Lakewood CA for about $50 when landscaping my yard with ...Read Morea variety of succulents. The species was not labeled on the pot and it was approximately 3 feet tall at the time. Within 6 months it was hitting the roof of my house, so I moved it to give it some clearance.
It is now February 2015 and although it has not yet started to show woody trunk, I estimate the base to be about 18" in diameter and the spines about 7-8 feet long. The total height is now at least 12 feet tall.
I have seen a few references on the web about how great a container plant this makes! Ha! It is a really cool plant, just make sure you have a place to put it that would suitably fit a large palm tree, it is a monster. I've named it Kodos, it had a buddy Agave angustifolia planted at the same time named Kang. Kang bloomed spectacularly this year, dropping hundreds of pups from the flower. I paid my gardener to remove the massive thing. Kang II (the largest sucker) is now growing in it's place. I'll post photos.
I have 7 of these plants in my landscape, originally purchased in one gallon containers. They are growing in full Sun and also in filte...Read Morered Sunlight here in Scottsdale. After 4 years all of these Furcraea macdougalii, are doing well and seem to happy in all of the different locations around the yard. They are all about 5' tall and equally as wide, but so far none of the plants have developed a stem.
I inherited my Furcraea macdougalli from a friend who was unsure what it was, other than it was from Mexico. The plant, actually plant(s...Read More) had been growing in a shallow bowl for years. The bowl contained 6 individual plants which appeared to resemble an agave with offsets. After stumbling onto a specimen at Rancho Soledad Nursery, I learned it's true name. I am assuming the 6 tightly grouped plants sprouted from a segment of the mother plant's flower stalk. Today I have two of the existing plants growing in my front yard in Encinitas, California. During the summer, the plant can exhibit desiccation where it's leaves begin to slightly prune. The symptoms first appear on the lower basal leaves.
This is a relative of the Agaves, and I cannot find much written about this species. It is an impressive plant, though, and many local b...Read Moreotanical gardens have one. I first discovered this plant at a nursery in Escondido California where they had a monster growing in the back lot... it had to have about 10' of trunk and 15'+ stiff, spiny leaves shooting out of it in all directions. It looked from a distance like some weird palm/ succulent cross. The nursery was selling small seedlings (in 20 gal pots!). So of course I got one. And it's been a great plant... has an upright growth of blue-green slightly forgiving and only mildly spiny leaves, the texture of a reptile- scaly-smooth. The only problem I've had with it is it's wimpy root system makes it prone to be pulled partially out of the ground if I walk by it too fast and let the spines grab my clothing. But now it's bigger and sturdier, and just starting to form a trunk (5 years after planting). A great curiosity item for the larger xeriscape garden.
Have a seedling in my yard in Los Angeles, and it has been growing well in a raised bed for the last two years. Had a significant freeze Jan 07 and discovered this plants limits- 27F for an extended period of time (5 hours in this case) damaged a lot of the leaves badly- ouch!
It indeed does form quite a large trunk (up to 15' in some areas) and looks like some incredible palm tree from a distance. The buds on ...Read Morethe flower stalk are called bulbules, and that is one of the main differences between agaves and furcreas in terms of reproduction. Furcreas never seem to sucker, while most agaves do. But hundreds, if not thousands of little bulbules are released once this plant flowers (monocarpic).
Furcreas are great plants, but some have the same vicious spines as their cousins, the agaves, so should be planted away from traffic areas. These are one of may favorite of all the succulents.
This is one of the most outstanding Agave-like specimen succulents that can be grown in the warmer areas of the Southwest. It is a very ...Read Moreupright, blue-green (with a silvery sheen) Agave-like plant. The leaves are long, thin and tapering to a soft point straight up in the air. The leaves also have scalloped edges with slightly sharp teeth. The backs of the leaves, which is what you touch if you brush up against it, have a soft, pebbly texture almost like plastic. It is one of the more user-friendly Agave-like plants.
Unlike most Agaves, this plant does not sucker (that I know of). It grows in an upright fashion to eventually develop a woody trunk and leaves that grow to some 15+ feet in length. From a distance it looks more like some massive, bizzare sort of Phoenix palm than a succulent. It truly is a giant among succulents.
Unfortunately, like most Agaves, it is monocarpic (dies once it flowers). However, the flowers turn into hundreds of little 'bulbules' which fall to earth hoping to root and start new plants.
I have no idea where in the world it originates. If anyone has more information on this species, it would be much appreciated.
A highly dramatic, architectural plant even out of bloom.
When they bloom---and they only bloom once---the giant infloresc...Read More
I purchased Furcraea macdougalii in Sept 2010 as a curiosity at H & H Nursery in Lakewood CA for about $50 when landscaping my yard with ...Read More
I have 7 of these plants in my landscape, originally purchased in one gallon containers. They are growing in full Sun and also in filte...Read More
I inherited my Furcraea macdougalli from a friend who was unsure what it was, other than it was from Mexico. The plant, actually plant(s...Read More
This is a relative of the Agaves, and I cannot find much written about this species. It is an impressive plant, though, and many local b...Read More
It indeed does form quite a large trunk (up to 15' in some areas) and looks like some incredible palm tree from a distance. The buds on ...Read More
This is one of the most outstanding Agave-like specimen succulents that can be grown in the warmer areas of the Southwest. It is a very ...Read More