Description.
Plants relatively few-leaved , rosettes reaching up to 1.2 dm tall at maturity. Green to grayish thickly rigid leaves broad lance shaped up to 90 x 25 cm, rarely larger, narrowed toward the thick base convex below, thinner and concave through the mid-blade. The margins undulate to crenate with firm, broadly based teeth, mostly 7-12 mm long, dark brown graying with age. Terminal spines 9 cm long, openly grooved above for 3/4 of its length, long decurrent; dark brown. They seed and sucker freely, and there is considerable natural variation. Generally wild plants are smaller with less thick stems and leaves than the cultivated varieties.
This easily propagated plant and its variants have been widely cultivated for food beverage and fiber.
Easily recognised by the broad leaves with sigmoid tips and long spines. Some of the short-acuminate leaves in some populations resemble those of A. salmiana var. ferox. The cultivated ferox seen in horticulture with bright green leaves is a clone and is easily recognized.
