Furcraea guerrerensis Matuda is one of the least known species in the genus Furcraea — a narrow Mexican endemic from the state of Guerrero, described in 1966 by Eizi Matuda (the same botanist who described Furcraea macdougallii) and virtually absent from cultivation worldwide. With only 53 georeferenced observations on iNaturalist and no published garden trial data, this species remains a botanical curiosity known primarily from herbarium specimens and limited field records. It is included here for completeness and to highlight the significant knowledge gap that exists for the more obscure Mexican furcraeas.
Taxonomy and nomenclature
Furcraea guerrerensis was described by Eizi Matuda in Anales del Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 36: 114, figs. 10–11 (1966). Family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. POWO accepts the name with no synonyms listed. The species was included in García-Mendoza’s body of work on Mexican furcraeas but has received minimal taxonomic attention since its original description.
Distribution and natural habitat
POWO gives the native range as southwestern Mexico (Guerrero). The species grows in the seasonally dry tropical biome — the same vegetation type that hosts several other Mexican furcraeas including Furcraea longaeva, Furcraea pubescens and the extinct-in-the-wild Furcraea macdougallii. Guerrero state is characterised by rugged Pacific-slope terrain with a pronounced dry season and hot summers.
Morphological description
Described as a subshrub by POWO. No detailed morphological data could be found in the accessible horticultural or English-language botanical literature. Matuda’s original 1966 description (in Spanish, with figures) remains the primary reference. The classification as a subshrub rather than a shrub or tree suggests a smaller or less strongly arborescent habit than species like Furcraea longaeva or Furcraea macdougallii.
Cultivation and cold hardiness
| Hardiness | Unknown — no garden data available |
| Habitat | Seasonally dry tropical; SW Mexico (Guerrero) |
| Documentation level | ★ — known primarily from herbarium material; no cultivation records found |
No cultivation data exists for Furcraea guerrerensis. Given its lowland, dry tropical origin in Guerrero — a state with warm Pacific-slope climates — frost tolerance is expected to be minimal, comparable to other lowland tropical furcraeas (estimated 0 to −2 °C at most). The species is not available in the commercial trade and would only be encountered through botanical garden exchanges or field collection.
Conservation considerations
As a narrow endemic of Guerrero’s seasonally dry tropical forest — a biome under significant pressure from agriculture, urbanisation and wildfires across Mexico — Furcraea guerrerensis may face conservation risks. No formal IUCN assessment has been conducted. POWO’s Angiosperm Threat Predictions database includes the species, suggesting it has been flagged for potential concern. Targeted fieldwork to assess population status would be valuable.
References
Matuda, E. (1966). [Description of Furcraea guerrerensis]. Anales del Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 36, 114, figs. 10–11.
POWO (2026). Furcraea guerrerensis Matuda. Plants of the World Online, Kew.