Furcraea is a genus of succulent plants belonging to the family Asparagaceae, native to tropical regions of Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and northern South America. Some species are also naturalized in parts of Africa, the United States (Florida), Portugal, Thailand, India, and Australia, as well as on various oceanic islands.[1] [2] [3] Plants of this genus are the origin of fique or cabuyo, a natural fiber.
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| Furcraea acaulis (Kunth) B.Ullrich | Venezuela | |
| Furcraea andina Trel. in L.H.Bailey | Peru, Ecuador | |
| Furcraea antillana A.Álvarez | Cuba, Hispaniola | |
| Furcraea boliviensis Ravenna | Bolivia | |
| Furcraea cabuya Trel. | tropical Mexico, Central America, Venezuela | |
| Furcraea depauperata Jacobi | Mexico but apparently extinct | |
| Furcraea foetida (L.) Haw. (Mauritius Hemp) | southern Caribbean; widely cultivated and naturalized elsewhere | |
| Furcraea guatemalensis Trel. | southern Mexico, Central America | |
| Furcraea guerrerensis Matuda | Guerrero | |
| Furcraea hexapetala (Jacq.) Urb., (Cuban Hemp) | southern Mexico, West Indies, Venezuela, Ecuador, Galápagos | |
| Furcraea longaeva Karw. & Zucc. | Puebla, Oaxaca | |
| Furcraea macdougallii Matuda | Puebla, Oaxaca, Chiapas | |
| Furcraea martinezii García-Mend. & L.de la Rosa | Guerrero | |
| Furcraea niquivilensis Matuda ex García-Mend | Chiapas | |
| Furcraea occidentalis Trel. | Peru | |
| Furcraea parmentieri (Roezl) García-Mend. | southern Mexico | |
| Furcraea quicheensis Trel. | Chiapas, Guatemala, Honduras | |
| Furcraea samalana Trel. | Chiapas, Guatemala, El Salvador | |
| Furcraea selloa K.Koch (Wild Sisal) | Colombia, Ecuador; naturalized in Tamaulipas, Florida, Andaman Islands, India, Queensland | |
| Furcraea stratiotes Petersen | Nicaragua | |
| Furcraea stricta Jacobi | Trinidad, Colombia, Brazil | |
| Furcraea tuberosa (Mill.) Aiton (Female Karata) | West Indies; naturalized in South Africa | |
| Furcraea undulata Jacobi | tropical Mexico, El Salvador | |