<p><em>Furcraea</em> 'Medio picta'  is is less well known than aloes and yuccas, but you can see the family resemblance in the spiky succulent leaves and rosette form. It's native to deciduous tropical forests and open land from the Caribbean well into South America. In fact, one of the common names for it is Brazilian aloe. </p>
<p>After maturing for years, it flowers just once, but dramatically, on a single stalk that can reach 25 feet high. The white, fragrant bloom goes on for weeks. Then, instead of seeds, it produces plantlets along the flowering stalk to begin the next generation before it dies down. It's an easy plant to grow, happy in part shade or full sun with a minimum of water. Just make sure it has good drainage. As it's only hardy to zone 9, most of us will need to grow it in containers we can bring inside in winter.</p>