Agave americana, commonly known as the century plant,[5]maguey, or American aloe,[6] is a flowering plantspecies 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]
Agave americana
The flower stalk may reach up to 8 m (26 ft) in height
Agave americana var. subtilis (Trel.) Valenz.-Zap. & Nabhan
Agave americana var. theometel (Zuccagni) A.Terracc.
Agave americana var. variegata Hook.
Agave americana f. virginica Voss
Agavecommunis Gaterau
Agave complicata Trel. ex Ochot.
Agave cordillerensis Lodé & Pino
Agave felina Trel.
Agave fuerstenbergii Jacobi
Agave gracilispina (Rol.-Goss.) Engelm. ex Trel.
Agave ingens A.Berger
Agave melliflua Trel.
Agave milleri Haw.
Agave ornata Jacobi
Agave picta Salm-Dyck
Agave ramosa Moench
Agave salmiana var. gracilispina Rol.-Goss
Agave subtilis Trel.
Agave subzonata Trel.
Agave theometel Zuccagni
Agave variegata Steud.
Agave virginica Mill. 1768, non L. 1753
Agave zonata Trel.
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.
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]
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]
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 pulqueoroctli 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]
It is important to note that 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.
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]
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]
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]
^Bailey, L.H.; Bailey, E.Z.; the staff of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third: A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada. Macmillan, New York.
Espelie, Karl E.; Wattendorff, Joachim; Kolattukudy, P. E. (1982). "Composition and ultrastructure of the suberized cell wall of isolated crystal idioblasts from Agave americana L. leaves". Planta. 155 (2): 166–75. Bibcode:1982Plant.155..166E. doi:10.1007/BF00392548. PMID24271671. S2CID2514355.
