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Re: Furcraea

I missed the discussion on Furcraeas recently, being somewhat
busy with other things at the time.  I think good information
was provided and I really have nothing else to offer, except:

My own F. foetida has sent up a bloom skipe int he last few week,
about 20ft or more tall now and stanring to send out the secondary
branches which will hold the delicate flowers.  While related to
Agaves, Furcraeas are much more 'refined' in that they are spineless
and have a more open inflorescence structure.  And the flowers
hang down so you can see into them even though they are so high up
in the air.  I find them fascinating.

The straight, green leaves are about 6-8ft long, standing in a
dome-like, loose, rosette, often with raggedy edges which are a bit
suggestive of spinyness but are not spine tipped.  The spike rose
like a giant asparagus shoot very quickly, raising all sorts of
reaction from the neighborhood!  It now has its very tip nestled in
the branches of the Redwood tree behind, probably higher than I could
ever reach with my pole pruners.  It truely dominates the intersection
in front of our house at the moment.

I was hesitant to mention the flowering of this guy as my own garden
is 'totally trashed' at the moment.  A major redevelopment is planned
but has been delayed for over two years for various reasons (all
legitimate!  ;-).  Sort of the 'cobblers son has no shoes' story as
well - other gardens get far more attention from me than my own!

For what its worth,
regards,
Sean O.

Sean A. O'Hara                       sean.ohara@poboxes.com
h o r t u l u s   a p t u s          710 Jean Street
'a garden suited to its purpose'     Oakland, CA 94610-1459, U.S.A.
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