female karata
Furcraea tuberosa · Agavaceae
female karata (Furcraea tuberosa) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Agavaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 11 and warmer, down to about 40°F.
At a glance
| Type | forb-herb Derived |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 1 ft USDA |
| Soil pH | 5.1–8.4 USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 11 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | ground-cover Derived |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
Its drought tolerance is rated medium. It is recorded on soils from pH 5.1 to 8.4 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 11.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 1 ft, making it a low, mat-forming plant.
Foliage, flower and season
Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 29 to 50 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 365 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 12 inches.
Propagating it
Seed is the only propagation method USDA lists. Division and cuttings are not listed as options. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period.
Role in a guild
Ground cover. In a layered planting this is the lowest layer — it shades soil, holds moisture, and suppresses weeds. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Similar role and hardiness
- yellow nutsedge Cyperus esculentus
- Tartary buckwheat Fagopyrum tataricum
- Hawai'i desert-thorn Lycium sandwicense
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol FUTU, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, flower conspicuous, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper).
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer, Type.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
Find more plants for your zone with the Plant Finder.