Furcraea

Furcraea 

a genus of plants of the family Agavaceae; the genus is closely related to the genus Agave. The plants have a short stalk and a rosette of somewhat succulent leaves measuring 1.5–2.5 m in length. The campanulate perianth has six free bracts, which are greenish on the outside and white inside. The flowers are gathered into very large pyramidal terminal panicles. The fruit is a capsule. In addition to the flowers, bulbels frequently develop in the inflorescence; bulbels sometimes also appear on the parent plant.

There are about 20 species, distributed in Central America and in northern regions of South America. The leaves of several species yield a strong fiber, which is used in making rope and coarse fabric. The giant cabuya (F. gigantea) is cultivated as a fiber plant in tropical and subtropical countries; F. cabuya and several other species are used for fiber by the local inhabitants.