Agave utahensis
Agave utahensis
Safety & Hazards
The plants have a very sharp and tough spine at the tip of each leaf. They need to be carefully sited in the garden. 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 utahensis is an evergreen, stemless, succulent plant forming a compact rosette of leaves that can be 15 - 60cm tall and 25 - 100cm in diameter. Around 70 - 80 leaves are produced on mature plants, each of which can be 15 - 50cm long and 2 - 3cm wide near the base. After several years of growth, a flowering stem that can be around 170 - 400cm 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[ 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 was very important for the native north Americans, providing them with food, medicines and a range of materials. It is much less used at the present time. The plant is often grown as an ornamental , especially in xeriscape gardens. Agave utahensis has a relatively large range, stable overall populations and, even though it is affected by threats in part of its range, it occurs in sevaral protected areas. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2020)[ 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. ]. Although generally considered least concern, it should be noted that illegal collection of the variety Agave utahensis eborispina for ornamental use has resulted in high levels of removal of mature individuals of this portion of the population[ 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. ].