Agave scaposa
Agave scaposa
Safety & Hazards
Many Agave species have strong, sharp spines on the leaves and leaf tips. In theory at least, the flowers, nectar, immature flowering stem and the centre of the rosette of all Agave species is edible and, with proper preparation, can provide a sweet, tasty foodstuff. Some species, however, contain relatively high levels of saponins (which makes them taste bitter) and some other compounds which can cause bellyache, and so these would only be eaten in times of desperation. In addition, many people may find these foods to be strongly laxative the first few times they eat them[ 1846 Title The Agaves of Baja California Publication Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Sciences, No. 130, Author Gentry H.S. Publisher California Academy of Sciences; San Francisco Year 1978 ISBN 0068-5461 Description ].
Botanical Description
Agave scaposa is an evergreen, succulent plant, sometimes with a short trunk, forming a rosette of leaves that can be 170 - 220cm tall and 250 - 300 cm in diameter. Mature plants can produce around 60 - 100 spiny leaves that can each be up to 90 - 120 cm long and 20 - 28cm wide near the base. After several years of growth, a flowering stem that can be up to 13 metres tall is produced, after which the rosette will die[ 1207 Title Flora del Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Publication Author Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/118975#/summary Publisher Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Year 1993 - 2015 ISBN 968-36-3108-8 Description An excellent flora (in Spanish) of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán biosphere reserve in southeastern Mexico. It can be downloaded from the Internet ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. It is grown as a living fence and to delimit boundaries Although there as some areas where Agave scaposa is declining, it is typically protected by local communities because it hosts a grub which is used as a human food.. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2019)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].