''Agave eggersiana'', Eggers' century plant, is an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

of spiky

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

which grows in the

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Croix ...

, in dry, exposed areas. ''Agave eggersiana'' is a perennial herb known in the wild only from the island of

St. Croix Saint Croix; nl, Sint-Kruis; french: link=no, Sainte-Croix; Danish and no, Sankt Croix, Taino: ''Ay Ay'' ( ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincorpo ...

of the U.S.

(USFWS 1998a). A small number of plants remain on private land and are threatened by tourist development (USFWS 1998b). Other threats include feral pigs and goats on

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

land (USFWS 1998b). Research needs include distribution and abundance, general biology and ecology (USFWS 1998a). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requests that any interested parties (concerned government agencies, the scientific community and/or industry) submit data or suggestions concerning this species (USFWS 1998b). The plant is being cultivated at the St. George Village Botanical Garden in St. Croix U.S.V.I.(USFWS 1998a) and at Fairchild Botanical Gardens in south

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. ''Agave eggersiana'' has flowering stalks up to 7 m (23 feet) in height and has large, yellow tubular flowers that produce flattened black seeds (USFWS 1998a).Trelease, William. Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences 11: 28, pl. 31–33. 1913.

References

*USFWS. 1998 November 17, 1998. News Release: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Determines two Virgin Island plants may warrant listing under Endangered Species Act. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service *http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/index.pl/article?id=17628587 *USFWS. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants, initiation of status review for Agave eggersiana and Solanum conocarpum: Initiation of status review and solicitation of new Information, published Jan. 20, 2010, information by Feb. 19, 2010 *http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-870.htm eggersiana Flora of the Caribbean Flora of the United States Virgin Islands Endangered species {{Asparagaceae-stub