Agave lechuguilla
Agave lechuguilla
Safety & Hazards
The plant is said to be poisonous to cattle, sheep and goats[ 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. , 1844 Title Agave Agavaceae Publication Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Monocotyledons, pp 21-311 Author Thiede J. Website https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-56486-8_111 Publisher Springer Nature Year 2020 ISBN Description ]. 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 lechuguilla is an evergreen, stemless, succulent plant forming a rosette of leaves around 30 - 50cm high and 40 - 60cm wide. The leaves of mature plants can each be 30 - 50cm long and 3 - 4cm wide near the base. After several years of growth, a flowering stem that can be up to 2 - 3 metres tall is produced, after which the rosette will die. However, the plant usually produces a number of young plants around its base that will develop as new plants. Plants are often found growing in very dense clusters, especially on rocky, limestone soils[ 1838 Title Ethnobotany of Agave lecheguilla and Yucca carnerosana in Mexico's Zona Ixtlera Publication Economic Botany, Vol. 34, No. 4 (Oct. - Dec., 1980), pp. 376-390 Author Sheldon S. Website http://www.jstor.org/stable/4254218 Publisher Year 1980 ISBN Description , 1844 Title Agave Agavaceae Publication Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Monocotyledons, pp 21-311 Author Thiede J. Website https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-56486-8_111 Publisher Springer Nature Year 2020 ISBN Description ] The plant is cultivated and also harvested from the wild, often on a commercial scale, for use as a source of 'ixtle' fibre[ 1838 Title Ethnobotany of Agave lecheguilla and Yucca carnerosana in Mexico's Zona Ixtlera Publication Economic Botany, Vol. 34, No. 4 (Oct. - Dec., 1980), pp. 376-390 Author Sheldon S. Website http://www.jstor.org/stable/4254218 Publisher Year 1980 ISBN Description ]. It is also utilized locally as a food, medicine and source of materials. It is reported that in Mexico almost one million people depend on this species to produce handicrafts or industrial articles[ 317 Title Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants Publication Author Website http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Terse details of a huge range of useful plants. ]. Agave lechuguilla has a wide range across Mexico and the southern US states of New Mexico and Texas. Even though the species is collected, it has good recovery and the overall population is stable. It also occurs within protected areasThe 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. ].