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Furcraea hexapetala - (Jacq.) Urb.

Common Name Fique, Cuban Hemp
Family Asparagaceae
USDA hardiness 9-11
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Tropical highlands
Range Northern S. America - Venezuela, Ecuador, Galapagos, north through the Caribbean and Mexico.
Edibility Rating    (0 of 5)
Other Uses    (2 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (1 of 5)
Care (info)
Tender Well drained soil Moist Soil Full sun
Furcraea hexapetala Fique, Cuban Hemp


edibleplants.org
Furcraea hexapetala Fique, Cuban Hemp
wikimedia.org Michael Wolf

 

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Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Furcraea hexapetala is an evergreen Perennial growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 1 m (3ft 3in) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Birds, Bees.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Agave aspera Jacq. Agave australis Steud. Agave cubensis Jacq. Agave hexapetala Jacq. Agave odorata Pers. Agave vivipara Arruda Furcraea agavephylla Brot. Furcraea aspera (Jacq.) M.Roem. Furcraea cahum Trel. Furcraea cubensis (Jacq.) Vent. Furcraea macrophylla Baker Furcraea valleculata Jacobi

Plant Habitats

Edible Uses

None known

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


The roots are used for medicine[317 ].

References   More on Medicinal Uses

The Bookshop: Edible Plant Books

Our Latest books on Perennial Plants For Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens in paperback or digital formats.

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
Edible Tropical Plants

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

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Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
Edible Temperate Plants

Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

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Other Uses

Agroforestry Uses: Planted as living fences[317 ]. Other Uses: A fibre is obtained from the leaves[46 , 317 ].

Special Uses

Carbon Farming

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Agroforestry Services: Living fence  Industrial Crop: Fiber  Management: Standard  Regional Crop

Requires a well-drained soil and a sunny position[200 ]. Plants are monocarpic - they live for a number of years without flowering, then put all their energy into flowering and die afterwards[200 ]. Occurs in climates with good light with temperature between 17 and 24 ? C, relative humidity between 50 and 70%. Prefers clay-clayey soils, well aerated and with a pH between 5.0 and 7.0. It can be propagated sexually by entomophilic pollination, but it must spread asexually through bulbils or suckers, which after falling to the ground, grow easily.

Carbon Farming

  • Agroforestry Services: Living fence  Simply managed rows of shrubs and trees.
  • Industrial Crop: Fiber  Clothing, rugs, sheets, blankets etc. Currently, almost none of our fiber are produced from perennial crops but could be!
  • Management: Standard  Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
  • Regional Crop  These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

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The PFAF Bookshop

Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

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Plant Propagation

Seed - rarely produced[200 ]. Plants frequently produce large numbers of bulbils, which root and grow into new plants when they fall to the ground[200 ]. These bulbils have the capacity to remain viable for a number of years, even in unfavourable conditions[200 ].

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

SOUTHERN AMERICA: Hispaniola, Cuba, Jamaica

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

None Known

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Furcraea acaulisCocuizaPerennial1.5 10-12 MLMHSNDM003
Furcraea andinaPacpa, FiquePerennial2.5 10-12 FLMNDM114
Furcraea cabuyaCabuyaPerennial2.0 9-11 FLMSNDM002
Furcraea foetidaMauritius HempPerennial2.0 9-11 FLMSNDM023

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

(Jacq.) Urb.

Botanical References

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.

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