Agave americana

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Agave americana
Agave July 2011-1.jpg
The flower stalk may reach up to 8 m (26 ft) in height
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Agavoideae
Genus: Agave
Species:
A. americana
Binomial name
Agave americana
Synonyms [3] [4]
Synonyms list
    • Agave altissimaZumagl.
    • Agave americana var. marginataTrel.
    • Agave americana var. mediopictaTrel.
    • Agave americana var. picta(Salm-Dyck) A.Terracc.
    • Agave americana f. picta(Salm-Dyck) Voss
    • Agave americana var. striata Trel.
    • Agave americana var. subtilis(Trel.) Valenz.-Zap. & Nabhan
    • Agave americana var. theometel(Zuccagni) A.Terracc.
    • Agave americana var. variegataHook.
    • Agave americana f. virginicaVoss
    • Agavecommunis Gaterau
    • Agave complicataTrel. ex Ochot.
    • Agave cordillerensisLodé & Pino
    • Agave felina Trel.
    • Agave fuerstenbergiiJacobi
    • Agave gracilispina(Rol.-Goss.) Engelm. ex Trel.
    • Agave ingensA.Berger
    • Agave mellifluaTrel.
    • Agave milleriHaw.
    • Agave ornataJacobi
    • Agave pictaSalm-Dyck
    • Agave ramosa Moench
    • Agave salmiana var. gracilispinaRol.-Goss
    • Agave subtilisTrel.
    • Agave subzonataTrel.
    • Agave theometelZuccagni
    • Agave variegataSteud.
    • Agave virginicaMill. 1768, non L. 1753
    • Agave zonataTrel.

Agave americana, commonly known as the century plant, [5] maguey, or American aloe, [6] is a flowering plant species belonging to the family Asparagaceae. It is native to Mexico and the United States, specifically Texas. This plant is widely cultivated worldwide for its ornamental value and has become naturalized in various regions, including Southern California, the West Indies, South America, the Mediterranean Basin, Africa, the Canary Islands, India, China, Thailand, and Australia. [7]

Contents

Despite being called "American aloe" in common parlance, Agave americana is not a member of the same family as Aloe , although it falls under the same order, Asparagales.

Description

The common name "century plant" stems from its semelparous nature of flowering only once at the end of its long life. After flowering, the plant dies but produces adventitious shoots from the base, allowing its growth to continue. [8] Although it is called the century plant, it typically lives only 10 to 30 years. [9] It has a spread around 1.8–3.0 m (6–10 ft) with gray-green leaves measuring 0.9–1.5 m (3–5 ft) in length, each with a prickly margin and a heavy spike at the tip that can pierce deeply. Towards the end of its life, the plant produces a tall, branched stalk adorned with yellow blossoms, which can reach a height of 8–9 m (25–30 ft).[ citation needed ]

Taxonomy and naming

Taxonomically, A. americana was described by Carl Linnaeus in the 1753 edition of Species Plantarum , and its binomial name is still in use today. [2]

Cultivation

A. americana is cultivated as an ornamental plant, particularly valued for its large, dramatic mature form. It is often found in modernist, xeriscapes (drought-tolerant), and desert-style cactus gardens. It is popularly used in hot climates and areas prone to drought. [10] The plant's presence can evoke the ambiance of 18th- to 19th-century Spanish colonial and Mexican provincial areas in the Southwestern United States, California, and xeric regions of Mexico. In dry beach gardens in Florida and coastal areas of the Southeastern United States, it is a favored choice for landscaping.[ citation needed ]

When grown as a houseplant, A. americana is tolerant of light levels ranging from direct sunlight to shade and requires minimal watering. It undergoes a winter resting period at temperatures around 10 to 12 °C (50 to 54 °F). It thrives in a highly porous, sandy potting soil, should be allowed to dry out between waterings, and should be repotted annually in the spring. [11]

Subspecies and varieties

The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families recognizes two subspecies and two varieties of A. americana. Additionally, there are several cultivars, including 'Marginata,' 'Mediopicta,' 'Mediopicta Alba,' 'Mediopicta Aurea,' 'Striata,' and 'Variegata.' Some of these cultivars, along with the parent species, have received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Two subspecies and two varieties of A. americana are: [12]

Cultivars include: [13] [14]

(those marked agm, as well as the parent species, [19] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit).

Uses

Tools used to obtain agave's ixtle fibers, at the Museo de Arte Popular, Mexico City, D.F. ToolsIxtleMAPHidalgo.JPG
Tools used to obtain agave's ixtle fibers, at the Museo de Arte Popular, Mexico City, D.F.

Cuisine

Agave americana has various uses starting in pre-Columbian Mexico. If the flower stem is cut before flowering, a sweet liquid known as aguamiel (“lit.'honey water') can be collected from the plant's hollowed heart. This liquid can be fermented to produce the alcoholic drink called pulque or octli used in pre-Columbian Mexico. [20]

In the tequila-producing regions of Mexico, agaves are known as mezcales. Mezcal refers to the high-alcohol product obtained through fermented agave distillation, and A. americana is among the several Agave species used for this purpose. The specific mezcal known as tequila is produced from Agave tequilana , commonly referred to as "blue agave." Mezcal comes in various types, some of which may be flavored with the intensely pungent mezcal worm. [21]

Mezcal and tequila, despite being produced from agave plants, differ from pulque in their sugar extraction techniques and classification as distilled spirits. In mezcal and tequila production, the sugars are obtained by heating the piñas (or hearts) of the plants in ovens, as opposed to collecting aguamiel from the cut stalk of the plant. Therefore, if pulque were to be distilled, it would not be classified as mezcal but rather as a distinct beverage. [22]

Agaves are also found throughout Latin America and are used in similar ways. In Ecuador, the equivalent of pulque is known as guarango , which has recently been distilled as miske.

Agave nectar is marketed as a natural sweeteners with a low glycemic index, primarily due to its high fructose content. [23]

Fibers

The leaves of A. americana yield fibers called pita, which are suitable for making ropes, nets, bags, sacks, matting, and coarse cloth. They are also used for leather embroidery in a technique known as piteado . [24] Both pulque and maguey fiber played significant roles in the pre-Columbian economy of Mexico. [20]

Medicine

Agave americana contains agavose, a sugar that is isomeric (similar) to sucrose (C12H22O11) [25] but with reduced sweetening power, as well as agavasaponins and agavosides. [26] It is used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments, [27] and as a laxative, diuretic, and diaphoretic. [28] However, a comprehensive review of research literature using systematic methods (scientific review) did not find sufficient data to support its effectiveness or safety. [29] It is important to note that A. americana can cause severe allergic dermatitis. [30]

Heraldry

The plant holds heraldic significance and is featured in the coat of arms of Don Diego de Mendoza, a Native American governor of the village of Ajacuba, Hidalgo. [31]

Art

Additionally, the Aztecs used the pulped leaves of A. americana to create paper. [20] The fragments known as the Humboldt fragments were made using this technique. [32]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tequila</span> Distilled alcoholic beverage from Mexico

Tequila is a distilled beverage made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila 65 km (40 mi) northwest of Guadalajara, and in the Jaliscan Highlands of the central western Mexican state of Jalisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mezcal</span> Distilled alcoholic beverage from Mexico

Mezcal, sometimes spelled mescal, is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of agave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayahuel</span>

Mayahuel is the female deity associated with the maguey plant among cultures of central Mexico in the Postclassic era of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican chronology, and in particular of the Aztec cultures. As the personification of the maguey plant, Mayahuel is also part of a complex of interrelated maternal and fertility goddesses in Aztec religion and is also connected with notions of fecundity and nourishment.

<i>Deutzia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Deutzia is a genus of about 60 species of flowering plants in the family Hydrangeaceae, native to eastern and central Asia, and Central America and also Europe. By far the highest species diversity is in China, where 50 species occur.

<i>Dasiphora fruticosa</i> Species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae

Dasiphora fruticosa is a species of hardy deciduous flowering shrub in the family Rosaceae, native to the cool temperate and subarctic regions of the northern hemisphere, often growing at high altitudes in mountains. Dasiphora fruticosa is still widely referenced in the horticultural literature under its synonym Potentilla fruticosa. Common names include shrubby cinquefoil, golden hardhack, bush cinquefoil, shrubby five-finger, widdy, kuril tea and tundra rose.

<i>Juniperus chinensis</i> Species of conifer

Juniperus chinensis, the Chinese juniper, is a species of plant in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to China, Myanmar, Japan, Korea and the Russian Far East. Growing 1–20 metres tall, it is a very variable coniferous evergreen tree or shrub.

<i>Ilex aquifolium</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Aquifoliaceae

Ilex aquifolium, the holly, common holly, English holly, European holly, or occasionally Christmas holly, is a species of flowering plant in the family Aquifoliaceae, native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia. It is regarded as the type species of the genus Ilex, which by association is also called "holly". It is an evergreen tree or shrub found, for example, in shady areas of forests of oak and in beech hedges. In the British Isles it is one of very few native hardwood evergreen trees. It has a great capacity to adapt to different conditions and is a pioneer species that repopulates the margins of forests or clearcuts.

<i>Dasylirion wheeleri</i> Species of flowering plant

Dasylirion wheeleri is a species of flowering plant in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae), native to arid environments of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States.

<i>Dracaena reflexa</i> Species of flowering plant

Dracaena reflexa is a tree native to Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius, and other nearby islands of the Indian Ocean. It is widely grown as an ornamental plant and houseplant, valued for its richly coloured, evergreen leaves, and thick, irregular stems.

<i>Miscanthus sinensis</i> Species of grass

Miscanthus sinensis, the eulalia or Chinese silver grass, is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae, native to eastern Asia throughout most of China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea.

<i>Agave angustifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Agave angustifolia is a species of agave plant which is native to Mexico and Central America. It is used to make mezcal and also as an ornamental plant. The cultivar 'Marginata' that white margins on the leaves is a popular variety cultivated in botanical gardens and backyards. It is very closely related to blue agave Agave tequilana, but is used to make the distilled alcoholic beverage mezcal instead of tequila, and is the predominant agave species grown in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.

<i>Pulque</i> Alcoholic beverage made from agave

Pulque, occasionally known as octli or agave wine, is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey (agave) plant. It is traditional in central Mexico, where it has been produced for millennia. It has the color of milk, a rather viscous consistency and a sour yeast-like taste.

<i>Agave</i> Genus of flowering plants closely related to yucca

Agave is a genus of monocots native to the arid regions of the Americas. The genus is primarily known for its succulent and xerophytic species that typically form large rosettes of strong, fleshy leaves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aguamiel</span>

Aguamiel is the sap of the Mexican maguey plant which is believed to have therapeutic qualities. According to Native American histories, the process of obtaining aguamiel from maguey was first discovered during the reign of Tecpancaltzin by a Toltec noble named Papantzin, whose daughter Xochitl was sent to the king with an offering of aguamiel. The sap is found in abundance among the agave plants which grow among the ruins of the Teotihuacan civilization. Also called honeywater it has been used in Mexico as a medicine. In its fermented state it has been enjoyed as a beverage for centuries. The particularly viscous beer made from Aguamiel is known as pulque in Mexico. It was available commercially beginning in 1910 and its sale was emphasized only in California prior to late 1928.

<i>Acer palmatum</i> Species of maple

Acer palmatum, commonly known as Japanese maple, palmate maple, or smooth Japanese maple (Korean: danpungnamu, 단풍나무, Japanese: irohamomiji, イロハモミジ, or momiji,, is a species of woody plant native to Korea, Japan, China, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russia. Many different cultivars of this maple have been selected and they are grown worldwide for their large variety of attractive forms, leaf shapes, and spectacular colors.

<i>Agave weberi</i> Species of flowering plant

Agave weberi, known as maguey liso in Spanish and as Weber agave in English, is a succulent perennial plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Under the synonym Agave neglecta, it is known as wild century plant and Small agave – the latter in honor of its discoverer in Florida, John Kunkel Small. Naturalized populations in Florida were considered to be a separate species, but are now treated as synonymous with A. weberi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maguey worm</span> Edible caterpillars that infest maguey

Maguey worms are either of two species of edible caterpillars that infest maguey plants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maguey flower</span>

The maguey flower, in Spanish, flor de maguey, also known locally as gualumbo, hualumbo, quiote or jiote is a typical product of Mexican cuisine, cultivated mainly in the rural areas of the center of the country. Due to its difficult availability, it is considered a delicacy. Maguey flowers are harvested and consumed closed, since once opened (ripened), they have a bitter taste.

Miske is an Ecuadorean distilled alcoholic beverage made from the sap of agave plants.

References

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  26. "List of All Chemicals - Agave americana (Agavaceae)" (PDF).
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  30. de la Cueva, P.; González-Carrascosa, M.; Campos, M.; Leis, V.; Suárez, R.; Lázaro, P. (2005). "Contact dermatitis from Agave americana". Actas Dermo-Sifiliograficas. 96 (8): 534–536. doi:10.1016/s0001-7310(05)73128-8. PMID   16476291.
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Further reading