Identification Guide For Invasive Exotic Plants of the Florida Keys

Scientific Name:
Common Name(s):
Agave sisalana*
Century plant, Sisal hemp, Sisal, Sisal agave
Height:
Leaves:
Flowers:
Bark:
Fruit:
Other:
Treatment:
Five feet or more
Four inch wide, sword-like fibrous leaves extending upward from a rosette at
the base. Terminate in long, hard, sharp spines. Green or grayish in color,
smooth in texture.
Flower stalk may rise 25-30 feet and has a branched top. Greenish flowers
N/A
Fruit is an egg-sized capsule which splits open to release black seeds.
Leaves contain a liquid that may be a skin irritant for some people.
Mother plant dies after blooming once. Native Agave will have spines along
the leaf margin while the exotic do not.
Spray with 3% Garlon 4 on center bud
Photos by Kaita Frank
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