Las especies colombianas de Furcraea (Agavaceae, Asparagales)

Abstract

A morphological and taxonomic treatment for the Colombian species of Furcraea Vent. is provided, including synonyms, descriptions, photographs, ecological and geographic distribution, common names, uses, comments on particular morphological features, and morphological relationships of the species. In addition, all species were categorized based on UICN criteria. The presence of lateral inflorescences is recorded for the first time for two South American especies [F. cabuya Trel. and F. foetida (L.) Haw.]. The neotype for Furcraea selloana K. Koch is designated. The species examined are grouped into three categories: A. Species with biogeographic rarity (F. abisaii Giraldo-Cañas), B. Species with demographic rarity [F. acaulis (Kunth) B. Ullrich, F. selloana K. Koch], and C. Species with wide distribution and high population densities [F. cabuya Trel., F. foetida (L.) Haw.]. One species was categorized as “critically endangered” (CR), two species as “endangered species” (EN), and two species as “least concern” (LC). The following taxa are excluded from Colombian Flora, Furcraea andina Trel. [= F. hexapetala (Jacq.) Urb.], Furcraea bedinghausii K. Koch [= F. parmentieri (Roezl ex Ortgies) García-Mendoza], Furcraea commelynii (Salm-Dyck) Kunth [= F. tuberosa (Miller) W. T. Aiton], Furcraea macrophylla Baker [= F. hexapetala (Jacq.) Urb.], and Furcraea stricta Jacobi. Thus, a total of five native species of this genus are currently known in Colombia, of which one is endemic (Furcraea abisaii).