Each rosette typically matures over time to as much as 6' tall by 8-10' wide. In the variegated forms, the leaf has a white or yellow marginal or central stripe. Description. The Hohokam of southern Arizona cultivated large areas of agave. americana, from America, North or South. Common name: Century Plant. [29] The agave sweetener is marketed as natural and diabetic-friendly, without spiking blood sugar levels. Agaves and close relatives have long presented significant taxonomic difficulty. Agave azul (blue agave) is used in the production of tequila. Each agave plant produces several pounds of edible flowers during its final season. Native Introduced Native and Introduced. Despite their common name, most century plants do not live longer than 30 years; each rosette of leaves usually dies after flowering, though clonal pups at the base may persist. Common name of century plant suggests the plant will live 100 years before flowering. ; Bailey, E.Z. Agave americana. A. attenuata is a native of central Mexico and is uncommon in its natural habitat. Forms a large, upright habit of dark green leaves with a wide, butter yellow margin. [6][page needed] During flowering, a tall stem or "mast" ("quiote" in Mexico), which can grow to be 12 metres (40 feet) high,[9] grows apically from the center of the rosette and bears a large number of short, tubular flowers and sometimes vegetatively produced bulbils (a form of asexual reproduction). Agave americana var. Greenish-yellow flowers (each to 3-4" long) bloom in panicles at the branch ends. [5] Some Agave species are known by the common name "century plant".[8]. Family: Asparagaceae Subfamily: Agavoideae Genus: Agave. Plant in full sun in … Agave americana cv. Scientific Name. succulence), each group belongs to a different plant family and probably experienced convergent evolution. Agave rosettes are mostly monocarpic, though some species are polycarpic. Each plant typically forms a large, evergreen basal rosette of thick, succulent, lanceolate, gray-green leaves. The sap can also be taken internally in the treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery etc. Botanical Name. Botanical name: Agave americana; Common name: Century plant, agave ; Family: Asparagaceae ; Plant Type: Cactus or succulent, Evergreen ; Flower colour: Yellow. Smaller species, such as Agave lechuguilla, have smaller bloom stalks. Agave leaves store the plant's water and are crucial to its continued existence. Roasted, they are sweet and can be chewed to extract the aguamiel, like sugarcane. [22][23] Being succulents, they tend to rot if kept too wet. It is a very polymorphic species cultivated worldwide in many variants, esp. Agave species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) species, including Batrachedra striolata, which has been recorded on A. shawii. Agaves can be confused with cacti, aloes, or stonecrops, but although these plants all share similar morphological adaptations to arid environments (e.g. They mature very slowly and die after flowering, but are easily propagated by the offsets from the base of the stem. A. americana, century plant, was introduced into southern Europe about the middle of the 16th century, and is now widely cultivated as an ornamental, as it is in the Americas. The first listed was Agave americana, now the type species. Tolerates dry soils and drought. The four major edible parts of the agave are the flowers, the leaves, the stalks or basal rosettes, and the sap (in Spanish: aguamiel, meaning "honey water").[26]. Download preview. In fact, one of agaves most common uses in the landscape is for privacy or basically as mass plantings of thorny unpleasant defense plants. It will grow well in containers as an indoor plant at a much smaller size. [27], The Navajo similarly found many uses for the agave plant. These are large plants with loose, open, trunkless rosettes. In reality, outdoor plants typically bloom between the 10th and 25th years. [6][page needed][7], Along with plants from the closely related genera Yucca, Hesperoyucca, and Hesperaloe, various Agave species are popular ornamental plants in hot, dry climates, as they require very little supplemental water to survive. Click below on a thumbnail map or name … The Garden wouldn't be the Garden without our Members, Donors and Volunteers. Unlike many agaves, A. attenuata has no teeth or terminal spines, making it an ideal plant for areas adjacent to footpaths. The most widespread species remains Agave americana, which has become a common landscaping plant in the southern states of the US, the Middle East and southern Europe. medio-picta, Agave americana subsp. The genus name Agave comes from the Greek word agauos meaning "admirable" or "noble" in probable reference to the very tall flower spikes found on the plants of many species of Agave. ... for species profiles. Synonyms. These two subgenera are probably not monophyletic. Container plants may be grown in a gritty, cactus-type potting mix. [35][36], Variegated Century Plant -- Agave Americana 'Marginata', Agave tequilana 'Weber's Azul' (tequila agave), Genus of flowering plants closely related to yucca. 1976. Traditionally, the genus Agave was circumscribed to be composed of about 166 species. The baked, dried heads are also boiled and made into an edible paste, eaten whole, or made into soup. [14] When this system was superseded by the APG III system in 2009, the Agavaceae were subsumed into the expanded family Asparagaceae, and Agave was treated as one of 18 genera in the subfamily Agavoideae,[15] a position retained in the APG IV system of 2016.[16]. Agave americana ssp. Agave syrup (commonly called agave nectar), a sweetener derived from the sap, is used as an alternative to sugar in cooking, and can be added to breakfast cereals as a binding agent. The Agave americana also goes by the common names of American aloe or century plant. If youve ever had a run in with an agave plants sharp terminal spike or ragged, toothy leaf margin, you probably remember it all too well. ramosa, ramosus, with many branches; branched. American century plant is a rosette-forming herbaceous perennial succulent in the Asparagaceae family. [12] In the Cronquist system and others, Agave was placed in the family Liliaceae, but phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences later showed it did not belong there. Common Name: American Century Plant, Agave A yellow-edge form of Agave americana that's sure to be an architectural focal point in your garden. The genus Agave (from the Ancient Greek αγαυή, agauê)[4] is primarily known for its succulent and xerophytic species that typically form large rosettes of strong, fleshy leaves. However, throughout the lifetime of many Agave species, rhizomatous suckers develop above the roots at the base of the rosette. Agave plants are perhaps best known for tequila, which is made from the steamed, mashed, fermented and distilled hearts of the blue agave. Download preview. But the miracle of nature was the great Mexican aloe, or maguey, whose clustering pyramids of flowers, towering above their dark coronals of leaves, were seen sprinkled over many a broad acre of the table-land. Agave americana 'Mediopicta' is a highly ornamental succulent with variegated leaves. Agave americana 'Mediopicta' Common Names. Unlike most species of agave, A. attenuata has a curved flower spike from which it derives one of its numerous common names - the foxtail agave. Agave (/əˈɡɑːvi/, UK also /əˈɡeɪvi/,[2] Anglo-Hispanic: /əˈɡɑːveɪ/)[3] is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas, although some Agave species are also native to tropical areas of South America. Agave tequilana or Agave tequilana var. Native Range: Southwestern United States, Mexico. Plants in this genus may be considered perennial, because they require several to many years to mature and flower. Agave americana is a rosette-forming perennial succulent that is native to Mexico. It is a large and showy plant for the landscape. Some commonly grown species include Agave americana, Agave angustifolia, Agave tequilana, Agave attenuata, Agave parviflora, Agave murpheyi, Agave vilmoriniana, Agave palmeri, Agave parryi, and Agave victoriae-reginae. The leaves also have sharp, spiked edges. Other Common Names: Century plant, American agave, American century plant, maguey, flowering aloe, American aloe, metl, spiked aloe. Some agaves bloom at a height up to 9 m (30 ft) so that they are far out of reach to animals that might attack them. The leaves are eaten boiled, and the young, tender flowering stalks and shoots are roasted and eaten as well. Once a plant flowers and dies, the offsets around the base of the plant continue to grow. The leaves are often reflexed above the middle, and this is a characteristic feature of the species. mediopicta. It is part of the Asparagaceae family and can be found in areas that range from South America to Mexico. The agave, especially Agave murpheyi, was a major food source for the prehistoric indigenous people of the Southwestern United States. The spikes discourage predators from eating the plant or using it as a source of water and are so tough that ancient peoples used them for sewing needles. , fique or mezcal grow semi-wild in Miahuatlan, Oaxaca in agave.... Our Members, Donors and Volunteers is A. americana, a americana subsp which may make the plant water! 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