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{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = ''Agave''
| image = Agave americana a-m.jpg
| image_width = 250px
| image_caption = [[Agave_americana|''Agave americana'' (Century Plant)]]
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Liliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Asparagales]]
| familia = [[Agavaceae]]
| genus = '''''Agave'''''
| genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
| subdivision =
see text. See also [[List_of_Agave_species|full listing]].
}}
'''Agaves''' are [[succulent plant|succulent]] [[plant]]s of a large [[botanical]] [[genus]] of the same name, belonging to the family [[Agavaceae]]. Chiefly [[Mexico|Mexican]], they occur also in the southern and western [[United States]] and in central and tropical [[South America]]. The plants have a large [[Rosette (botany)|rosette]] of thick fleshy [[leaf|leaves]] generally ending in a sharp point and with a spiny margin; the stout [[Plant stem|stem]] is usually short, the leaves apparently springing from the [[root]]. Along with plants from the related genus ''[[Yucca]]'', various ''Agave'' species are popular [[ornamental plant]]s.
Each rosette is [[monocarpic]] and grows slowly to [[flower]] only once. During flowering a tall stem or "mast" grows from the center of the leaf rosette and bears a large number of shortly tubular flowers. After development of [[fruit]] the original plant [[death|dies]], but [[Basal shoot|sucker]]s are frequently produced from the base of the stem which become new plants.
It is a common misconception that '''Agaves''' are a [[cactus]]. This plant is actually related to the [[lily]] and [[amaryllis]] [[Family (biology)|families]] and as such has its own genus.
''Agave'' species are used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species including ''[[Batrachedra|Batrachedra striolata]]'', which has been recorded on ''A shawii''.
==Commonly grown species==
The most commonly grown species include ''[[Agave americana]]'', ''[[Agave angustifolia]]'', ''[[Blue agave]]'' (Agave tequilana) and ''[[Agave attenuata]]''.
===''Agave americana''===
{{main|Agave americana}}
One of the most familiar species is ''[[Agave americana]]'', a native of tropical America. Common names include Century Plant, Maguey (in Mexico), or American Aloe (it is not, however, closely related to the genus ''[[Aloe]]''). The name "Century Plant" refers to the long time the plant takes to flower, although the number of years before flowering occurs depends on the vigor of the individual, the richness of the soil and the climate; during these years the plant is storing in its fleshy leaves the nourishment required for the effort of flowering.
''Agave americana'', century plant, was introduced into Europe about the middle of the 16th century and is now widely cultivated for its handsome appearance; in the variegated forms the leaf has a white or yellow marginal or central stripe from base to apex. As the leaves unfold from the center of the rosette the impression of the marginal spines is very conspicuous on the still erect younger leaves. The tequ plants are usually grown in tubs and put out in the summer months, but in the winter require protection from frost. They mature very slowly and die after flowering, but are easily propagated by the offsets from the base of the stem.
===''Agave attenuata''===
{{main|Agave attenuata}}
''A. attenuata'' is a native of central Mexico and is uncommon in its natural habitat. 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.
''A. attenuata'' is also commonly grown as a garden plant. Unlike many agaves, ''A. attenuata'' has no teeth or terminal spines making it an ideal plant for areas adjacent to footpaths. Like all agaves, ''A. attenuata'' is a succulent and requires little water or maintenance once established .
==Uses==
[[Image:Agave_chiapensis_whole.jpg|thumb|right|200px|the large flower sp
ike of ''[[Agave_chiapensis|Agave chiapensis]]'']]
Four major parts of the agave are edible: the flowers, the leaves, the stalks or basal rosettes, and the sap.(Davidson 1999)
*Each agave plant will produce several pounds of [[edible flowers]] during the summer.
*The leaves may be collected in winter and spring, when the plants are rich in sap, for eating.
*The stalks, which are ready during the summer, before the blossom, weigh several pounds each. Roasted, they are sweet, like molasses.
*During the development of the inflorescence there is a rush of sap to the base of the young flower stalk. In the case of ''A. americana'' and other species, this is used by the Mexicans to make their national beverage, [[pulque]].
*The flower shoot is cut out and the sap collected and subsequently fermented. By distillation, a spirit called [[mezcal]] is prepared; one of the most well-known forms of mezcal is [[tequila]]. In [[2001]] the Mexican Government and [[European Union]] agreed the classification of tequila and its categories. 100% Blue Agave Tequila must be made from the Weber Blue Agave plant, to rigorous specifications and only in certain Mexican states.
*The leaves of several species yield fiber: for instance, ''Agave rigida var. sisalana'', [[Sisal]] hemp, ''Agave decipiens'', False Sisal Hemp. ''Agave americana'' is the source of pita fiber and is used as a fiber plant in Mexico, the [[West Indies]] and southern [[Europe]].
*When dried and cut in slices, the flowering stem forms natural [[razor strop]]s, and the expressed juice of the leaves will lather in water like soap.
*The Natives of Mexico used the agave to make pens, nails and needles, as well as string to sew and make weavings. In [[India]] the plant is extensively used for hedges along railroads.
*[[Agave syrup]] (also called agave nectar) is used as an alternative to [[sugar]] in cooking.
==Ethnomedical Uses==
*Leaf [[tea]] or [[tincture]] taken orally is used to treat [[constipation]] and excess gas. It is also used as a [[diuretic]].
*Root tea or [[tincture]] is taken orally to treat [[arthritic]] joints.
==Warnings==
*The juice from many species of agave can cause acute contact [[dermatitis]]. It will produce reddening and blistering lasting one to two weeks. Episodes of itching may recur up to a year thereafter, even though there is no longer a visible rash. Irritation is, in part, caused by [[calcium oxalate]] [[raphides]]. Dried parts of the plants can be handled with bare hands with little or no effect.
==Taxonomy==
Agaves were once classified in [[Liliaceae]], but most references now include them in their own family, [[Agavaceae]].
Agaves have long presented special difficulties for [[alpha taxonomy|taxonomy]]; variations within a species may be considerable, and a number of named species are of unknown origin and may just be variants of original wild species.
Spanish and Portuguese explorers probably brought agave plants back to Europe with them, but the plants became popular in Europe during the 19th century when many types were imported by collectors. Some have been continuously propagated by offset since then, and do not consistently resemble any species known in the wild, although this may simply be due to the differences in growing conditions in Europe.
==Images of ''Agave'' species or cultivars==
<gallery>
Image:Agave_americana4.jpg|''[[Agave americana]]'' var. 'americana'
Image:Agave1web.jpg|''[[Agave americana]]'' var. 'marginata'
Image:Agave americana 'Medio-Picta' Plant 3264px.jpg|''[[Agave americana]]'' cv. 'Medio-Picta'
Image:Agaveespinho2.jpg|''[[Agave angustifolia]]'' 'Marginata'
Image:Agave attenuata Pot 2250px.jpg|''[[Agave attenuata]]''
Image:Agave bracteosa.jpg|''[[Agave bracteosa]]'' (Spider agave)
Image:Agave_deserti_form.jpg|''[[Agave deserti]]''
Image:Agave_ferox_3.jpg|''[[Agave ferox]]''
Image:Agave_filifera01.jpg|''[[Agave filifera]]''
Image:Agaveespinho1.jpg|''[[Agave horrida]]''
Image:Agave inaequidens ssp barrancensis.jpg|''[[Agave inaequidens]]'' ssp. ''barrancensis''
Image:Agave lechuguilla0.jpg|''[[Agave l
echeguilla]]''
Image:Agave palmeri.jpg|''[[Agave palmeri]]''
Image:California Cabbage Cactus.jpg|''[[Agave parryi]]''
Image:agave.potatorum.kewgardens.london.arp.jpg|''[[Agave potatorum]]''
Image:Agave_potatorum_Kichiokan.jpg|''[[Agave potatorum]]'' cv. 'Kichiokan'
Image:Agave schidigera Durango Delight.jpg|''[[Agave schidigera]]'' cv. 'Durango Delight'
Image:Agave shawii 1.jpg|''[[Agave shawii]]''
Image:Plantsisal.jpg|''[[Agave sisalana]]'' (Sisal)
Image:Agave stricta.jpg|''[[Agave stricta]]''
Image:Agave tequilana0.jpg|''[[Agave tequilana]]'' (Tequila agave)
Image:Agave utahensis leaves.jpg|''[[Agave utahensis]]''
Image:Agave victoriae-reginae lv 2.jpg|''[[Agave victoriae-reginae]]''
Image:Agave vilmoriniana 2.jpg|''[[Agave vilmoriniana]]''
Image:Agave parrasana.jpg|''[[Agave wislizeni]]'' (syn. ''[[Agave parrasana]]'')
</gallery>
==Species==
There are many species of Agave, see the [[List_of_Agave_species|List of ''Agave'' species]].
==References==
* [[Howard Scott Gentry]], ''Agaves of Continental North America'' (University of Arizona Press, 1982), the standard work, with accounts of 136 species
* [http://www.ipni.org/index.html IPNI : The International Plant Name Index]
* [http://wildflower.utexas.edu/plants/search.php?search_field=agave&newsearch=true&family= Native Plant Information Network] More information on species in the ''Agave'' genus
*{{cite book
| last = Davidson
| first = Alan
| authorlink = Alan Davidson (food writer)
| coauthors =
| title = The Oxford Companion to Food
| publisher = Oxford University press
| date = 1999
| location = Oxford
| pages = xx + 892
| url =
| doi =
| id = ISBN 0-19-211579-0}}
[[Category:Agavaceae]]
[[Category:Crops originating from the Americas]]
[[Category:Dermatology]]
[[Category:Poisonous_plants]]
| color = lightgreen
| name = ''Agave''
| image = Agave americana a-m.jpg
| image_width = 250px
| image_caption = [[Agave_americana|''Agave americana'' (Century Plant)]]
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Liliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Asparagales]]
| familia = [[Agavaceae]]
| genus = '''''Agave'''''
| genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
| subdivision =
see text. See also [[List_of_Agave_species|full listing]].
}}
'''Agaves''' are [[succulent plant|succulent]] [[plant]]s of a large [[botanical]] [[genus]] of the same name, belonging to the family [[Agavaceae]]. Chiefly [[Mexico|Mexican]], they occur also in the southern and western [[United States]] and in central and tropical [[South America]]. The plants have a large [[Rosette (botany)|rosette]] of thick fleshy [[leaf|leaves]] generally ending in a sharp point and with a spiny margin; the stout [[Plant stem|stem]] is usually short, the leaves apparently springing from the [[root]]. Along with plants from the related genus ''[[Yucca]]'', various ''Agave'' species are popular [[ornamental plant]]s.
Each rosette is [[monocarpic]] and grows slowly to [[flower]] only once. During flowering a tall stem or "mast" grows from the center of the leaf rosette and bears a large number of shortly tubular flowers. After development of [[fruit]] the original plant [[death|dies]], but [[Basal shoot|sucker]]s are frequently produced from the base of the stem which become new plants.
It is a common misconception that '''Agaves''' are a [[cactus]]. This plant is actually related to the [[lily]] and [[amaryllis]] [[Family (biology)|families]] and as such has its own genus.
''Agave'' species are used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species including ''[[Batrachedra|Batrachedra striolata]]'', which has been recorded on ''A shawii''.
==Commonly grown species==
The most commonly grown species include ''[[Agave americana]]'', ''[[Agave angustifolia]]'', ''[[Blue agave]]'' (Agave tequilana) and ''[[Agave attenuata]]''.
===''Agave americana''===
{{main|Agave americana}}
One of the most familiar species is ''[[Agave americana]]'', a native of tropical America. Common names include Century Plant, Maguey (in Mexico), or American Aloe (it is not, however, closely related to the genus ''[[Aloe]]''). The name "Century Plant" refers to the long time the plant takes to flower, although the number of years before flowering occurs depends on the vigor of the individual, the richness of the soil and the climate; during these years the plant is storing in its fleshy leaves the nourishment required for the effort of flowering.
''Agave americana'', century plant, was introduced into Europe about the middle of the 16th century and is now widely cultivated for its handsome appearance; in the variegated forms the leaf has a white or yellow marginal or central stripe from base to apex. As the leaves unfold from the center of the rosette the impression of the marginal spines is very conspicuous on the still erect younger leaves. The tequ plants are usually grown in tubs and put out in the summer months, but in the winter require protection from frost. They mature very slowly and die after flowering, but are easily propagated by the offsets from the base of the stem.
===''Agave attenuata''===
{{main|Agave attenuata}}
''A. attenuata'' is a native of central Mexico and is uncommon in its natural habitat. 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.
''A. attenuata'' is also commonly grown as a garden plant. Unlike many agaves, ''A. attenuata'' has no teeth or terminal spines making it an ideal plant for areas adjacent to footpaths. Like all agaves, ''A. attenuata'' is a succulent and requires little water or maintenance once established .
==Uses==
[[Image:Agave_chiapensis_whole.jpg|thumb|right|200px|the large flower sp
ike of ''[[Agave_chiapensis|Agave chiapensis]]'']]
Four major parts of the agave are edible: the flowers, the leaves, the stalks or basal rosettes, and the sap.(Davidson 1999)
*Each agave plant will produce several pounds of [[edible flowers]] during the summer.
*The leaves may be collected in winter and spring, when the plants are rich in sap, for eating.
*The stalks, which are ready during the summer, before the blossom, weigh several pounds each. Roasted, they are sweet, like molasses.
*During the development of the inflorescence there is a rush of sap to the base of the young flower stalk. In the case of ''A. americana'' and other species, this is used by the Mexicans to make their national beverage, [[pulque]].
*The flower shoot is cut out and the sap collected and subsequently fermented. By distillation, a spirit called [[mezcal]] is prepared; one of the most well-known forms of mezcal is [[tequila]]. In [[2001]] the Mexican Government and [[European Union]] agreed the classification of tequila and its categories. 100% Blue Agave Tequila must be made from the Weber Blue Agave plant, to rigorous specifications and only in certain Mexican states.
*The leaves of several species yield fiber: for instance, ''Agave rigida var. sisalana'', [[Sisal]] hemp, ''Agave decipiens'', False Sisal Hemp. ''Agave americana'' is the source of pita fiber and is used as a fiber plant in Mexico, the [[West Indies]] and southern [[Europe]].
*When dried and cut in slices, the flowering stem forms natural [[razor strop]]s, and the expressed juice of the leaves will lather in water like soap.
*The Natives of Mexico used the agave to make pens, nails and needles, as well as string to sew and make weavings. In [[India]] the plant is extensively used for hedges along railroads.
*[[Agave syrup]] (also called agave nectar) is used as an alternative to [[sugar]] in cooking.
==Ethnomedical Uses==
*Leaf [[tea]] or [[tincture]] taken orally is used to treat [[constipation]] and excess gas. It is also used as a [[diuretic]].
*Root tea or [[tincture]] is taken orally to treat [[arthritic]] joints.
==Warnings==
*The juice from many species of agave can cause acute contact [[dermatitis]]. It will produce reddening and blistering lasting one to two weeks. Episodes of itching may recur up to a year thereafter, even though there is no longer a visible rash. Irritation is, in part, caused by [[calcium oxalate]] [[raphides]]. Dried parts of the plants can be handled with bare hands with little or no effect.
==Taxonomy==
Agaves were once classified in [[Liliaceae]], but most references now include them in their own family, [[Agavaceae]].
Agaves have long presented special difficulties for [[alpha taxonomy|taxonomy]]; variations within a species may be considerable, and a number of named species are of unknown origin and may just be variants of original wild species.
Spanish and Portuguese explorers probably brought agave plants back to Europe with them, but the plants became popular in Europe during the 19th century when many types were imported by collectors. Some have been continuously propagated by offset since then, and do not consistently resemble any species known in the wild, although this may simply be due to the differences in growing conditions in Europe.
==Images of ''Agave'' species or cultivars==
<gallery>
Image:Agave_americana4.jpg|''[[Agave americana]]'' var. 'americana'
Image:Agave1web.jpg|''[[Agave americana]]'' var. 'marginata'
Image:Agave americana 'Medio-Picta' Plant 3264px.jpg|''[[Agave americana]]'' cv. 'Medio-Picta'
Image:Agaveespinho2.jpg|''[[Agave angustifolia]]'' 'Marginata'
Image:Agave attenuata Pot 2250px.jpg|''[[Agave attenuata]]''
Image:Agave bracteosa.jpg|''[[Agave bracteosa]]'' (Spider agave)
Image:Agave_deserti_form.jpg|''[[Agave deserti]]''
Image:Agave_ferox_3.jpg|''[[Agave ferox]]''
Image:Agave_filifera01.jpg|''[[Agave filifera]]''
Image:Agaveespinho1.jpg|''[[Agave horrida]]''
Image:Agave inaequidens ssp barrancensis.jpg|''[[Agave inaequidens]]'' ssp. ''barrancensis''
Image:Agave lechuguilla0.jpg|''[[Agave l
echeguilla]]''
Image:Agave palmeri.jpg|''[[Agave palmeri]]''
Image:California Cabbage Cactus.jpg|''[[Agave parryi]]''
Image:agave.potatorum.kewgardens.london.arp.jpg|''[[Agave potatorum]]''
Image:Agave_potatorum_Kichiokan.jpg|''[[Agave potatorum]]'' cv. 'Kichiokan'
Image:Agave schidigera Durango Delight.jpg|''[[Agave schidigera]]'' cv. 'Durango Delight'
Image:Agave shawii 1.jpg|''[[Agave shawii]]''
Image:Plantsisal.jpg|''[[Agave sisalana]]'' (Sisal)
Image:Agave stricta.jpg|''[[Agave stricta]]''
Image:Agave tequilana0.jpg|''[[Agave tequilana]]'' (Tequila agave)
Image:Agave utahensis leaves.jpg|''[[Agave utahensis]]''
Image:Agave victoriae-reginae lv 2.jpg|''[[Agave victoriae-reginae]]''
Image:Agave vilmoriniana 2.jpg|''[[Agave vilmoriniana]]''
Image:Agave parrasana.jpg|''[[Agave wislizeni]]'' (syn. ''[[Agave parrasana]]'')
</gallery>
==Species==
There are many species of Agave, see the [[List_of_Agave_species|List of ''Agave'' species]].
==References==
* [[Howard Scott Gentry]], ''Agaves of Continental North America'' (University of Arizona Press, 1982), the standard work, with accounts of 136 species
* [http://www.ipni.org/index.html IPNI : The International Plant Name Index]
* [http://wildflower.utexas.edu/plants/search.php?search_field=agave&newsearch=true&family= Native Plant Information Network] More information on species in the ''Agave'' genus
*{{cite book
| last = Davidson
| first = Alan
| authorlink = Alan Davidson (food writer)
| coauthors =
| title = The Oxford Companion to Food
| publisher = Oxford University press
| date = 1999
| location = Oxford
| pages = xx + 892
| url =
| doi =
| id = ISBN 0-19-211579-0}}
[[Category:Agavaceae]]
[[Category:Crops originating from the Americas]]
[[Category:Dermatology]]
[[Category:Poisonous_plants]]
