Agave cantala
Agave cantala
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 cantala is an evergreen, succulent, perennial plant developing a short stem 30 - 60cm tall atop of which is a rosette of leaves that can each be 150 - 200cm long and 7 - 9cm wide. The flowering stem can be up to 8 metres tall, after which the rosette usually dies. However, the plant usually produces suckers and these continue growing[ 1845 Title Population Dynamics and Sustainable Management of Mescal Agaves in Central Mexico: Agave potatorum in the Tehuacán-C Publication Econ. Bot. 69(1): 26-41, 2015 Author Toees I. et al Website https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-014-9295-2. Publisher Year 2015 ISBN Description ]. The plant is often cultivated for its fibre, especially in Asia from the Philippines to India[ 418 Title Ecocrop Publication Author Website http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available. ].