Photographs of Big Bend National Park

Keywords: Big Bend National Park, Texas, agaves, bromeliads, red plants, Chihuahuan Desert plants

Photograph Search

Big Bend National Park > Cacti > Photographs

Hechtia texensis - Texas false agave, along the Marufo Vega Trail

Full size photograph (900 x 675 pixels)

Hechtia texensis looks like an agave, hence its common name, but it is actually a bromeliad. In the USA, the plant is found only in the Big Bend area, but is widespread in Mexico where several other hechtia varieties are also found. The plant grows in the same habitat as agave lechuguilla, which it resembles, though the deep red color of the leaves makes it easy to differentiate the two species.

License/purchase this photograph