Flora of North America species comparison

erect, to 5 m. Leaf blade erect or recurving, green or blue-green, lanceolate or sword-shaped, flattened, concave distally, thin, 40–100 × 3.5–6 cm, rigid or flexible, glaucous at least when young, margins entire or roughly and minutely denticulate, often becoming filiferous with straight fibers, yellow or brown, opaque.

erect, paniculate, dense, arising completely within to mostly extending beyond rosettes, ovoid, 6–8.2 dm, glabrous, rarely slightly pubescent;

peduncle scapelike, to 0.8 m. Flowers pendent, 5–13 cm, nearly as wide;

perianth campanulate;

tepals connate basally to form shallow floral cup 7–12 mm, usually cream-colored, occasionally tinged with purple, 4.5–13 cm;

filaments connate proximally into collarlike structure, 3.2–12 mm, fleshy, pubescent;

anthers 5–7 mm;

pistil 4.5–8 × 0.7–1.2 cm (usually 4–5(–7) times longer than broad);

ovary 0.7–1.2 cm;

style 5–7 mm;

stigmas distinct.

paniculate, arising partly within to well beyond rosettes, ovoid to ellipsoid, 5–12 × 4.5 dm, glabrous or pubescent;

peduncle scapelike, 0.9–1.5 m. Flowers pendent;

perianth globose to campanulate;

tepals distinct, white to creamy white or greenish white, sometimes tinged with purple, elliptic to narrowly ovate, 4–5 × 2–2.5 cm;

filaments ca. 2.6 cm, hispid or slightly papillose;

anthers ca. 3.5 mm;

pistil light green, ca. 3.6 cm;

ovary sessile, ca. 2.8 cm;

style ca. 9 mm;

stigmas separate;

pedicel to 2 cm, often arching.

pendent, baccate, indehiscent, elongate, 5–23 × 4–7.5 cm, fleshy, succulent.

erect or pendent, baccate, with core, indehiscent, 6-winged or 6-ribbed, elongate, 2.5–8 cm, leathery.

dull black, obovate, 7–11 mm diam., 3 mm thick, rugose.

black, lustrous, ovate, thin, 5–8 mm diam. 2n = 50.