Notes on the Reproductive Biology of Agave fourcroydes (Asparagaceae), a Widely Naturalized Species with Invasive Tendencies

Abstract

Abstract: Several species of Agave have been recorded as becoming naturalized—even invasive—in, especially, mild-climate parts of the world. Most of these species use multiple reproductive strategies, in particular the production of vast numbers of bulbils on the peduncle and side branches of spent inflorescences. One such species, A. fourcroydes, in the vernacular known as henequen, is widely cultivated, especially for the extraction of fibers, also referred to as henequen, from its leaves, but also as an ornamental. To date, this species was only on one occasion reported as producing capsules and seed. We here record a further instance of the setting of viable seed by A. fourcroydes, a strategy that, in addition to the production of thousands of bulbils on a massive inflorescence, as well as through the production of basal sprouts, can contribute to the ease with which it spreads and becomes established in suitable habitats.