Agave americana

Naming

The species was given its binomial name Agave americana by Carl Linnaeus in the first edition of Species Plantarum (1753). This name is the one still in use today.

Cultivation

A. americana is cultivated as an ornamental plant, particularly valued for its large, dramatic mature form. It is often found in modernist, xeriscapes (drought-tolerant), and desert-style cactus gardens. It is popularly used in hot climates and areas prone to drought. The plant's presence can evoke the ambiance of 18th- to 19th-century Spanish colonial and Mexican provincial areas in the Southwestern United States, California, and xeric regions of Mexico. In dry beach gardens in Florida and coastal areas of the Southeastern United States, it is a favored choice for landscaping.

When grown as a houseplant, A. americana is tolerant of light levels ranging from direct sunlight to shade, and requires minimal watering. It undergoes a winter resting period at temperatures around 10 to 12 °C (50 to 54 °F). It thrives in a highly porous, sandy potting soil, should be allowed to dry out between waterings, and should be repotted annually in the spring.

Subspecies and varieties

The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families recognizes two subspecies and two varieties of A. americana. Additionally, there are several cultivars, including 'Marginata,' 'Mediopicta,' 'Mediopicta Alba,' 'Mediopicta Aurea,' 'Striata,' and 'Variegata.' Some of these cultivars, along with the parent species, have received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Two subspecies and two varieties of A. americana are:

• A. americana subsp. americana
• A. americana subsp. protamericana Gentry
• A. americana var. expansa (Jacobi) Gentry
• A. americana var. oaxacensis Gentry
• A. americana var. marginata Trel.

Cultivars include:

• 'Marginata' agm with yellow stripes along the margins of each leaf
• 'Mediopicta' agm with a broad cream central stripe
• 'Mediopicta Alba' agm with a central white band
• 'Mediopicta Aurea' with a central yellow band
• 'Striata' with multiple yellow to white stripes along the leaves
• 'Variegata' agm with white edges on the leaves.

(those marked agm, as well as the parent species, have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit).

Uses

Cuisine

Agave americana has various uses starting in pre-Columbian Mexico. If the flower stem is cut before flowering, a sweet liquid known as aguamiel ("lit. 'honey water') can be collected from the plant's hollowed heart. This liquid can be fermented to produce the alcoholic drink called pulque or octli used in pre-Columbian Mexico.

In the tequila-producing regions of Mexico, agaves are known as mezcales. Mezcal refers to the high-alcohol product obtained through fermented agave distillation, and A. americana is among the several Agave species used for this purpose. The specific mezcal known as tequila is produced from Agave tequilana, commonly referred to as "blue agave." Mezcal comes in various types, some of which may be flavored with the intensely pungent mezcal worm.

Mezcal and tequila, despite being produced from agave plants, differ from pulque in their sugar extraction techniques and classification as distilled spirits. In mezcal and tequila production, the sugars are obtained by heating the piñas (or hearts) of the plants in ovens, as opposed to collecting aguamiel from the cut stalk of the plant. Therefore, if pulque were to be distilled, it would not be classified as mezcal but rather as a distinct beverage.

Agaves are also found throughout Latin America and are used in similar ways. In Ecuador, the equivalent of pulque is known as guarango, which has recently been distilled as miske. Its use in making fermented and distilled drinks may have been a reason why settlers introduced the plant to Spanish Alta California, and according to reports made to ethnologist J. P. Harrington, Chumash consultants had seen a mission priest collect juice from the stalks, though the Chumash themselves did not produce alcoholic beverages.

Agave nectar is marketed as a natural sweetener with a low glycemic index, primarily due to its high fructose content.

Fibers

The leaves of A. americana yield fibers called pita, which are suitable for making ropes, nets, bags, sacks, matting, and coarse cloth. They are also used for leather embroidery in a technique known as piteado. Both pulque and maguey fiber played significant roles in the pre-Columbian economy of Mexico. In California, where the plant was introduced during Spanish colonization, the fibers began to be used by indigenous people like the Chumash to make string as an alternative to the shorter fibers of native Hesperoyucca whipplei; the fiber cordage was employed in making string, sewing shoes, and possibly for basketry handles. In Morocco, fibre from A. americana has also been described in materials-science literature as sabra fibre.

Medicine

Agave americana contains agavasaponins and agavosides (fructans). It is used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments, and as a laxative, diuretic, and diaphoretic. In California, following its introduction, it was reported that despined leaves were split and made into a poultice for boils. However, a comprehensive review of research literature using systematic methods (scientific review) did not find sufficient data to support its effectiveness or safety. A. americana can cause severe allergic dermatitis.

Heraldry

The plant holds heraldic significance and is featured in the coat of arms of Don Diego de Mendoza, a Native American governor of the village of Ajacuba, Hidalgo.

Art

Additionally, the Aztecs used the pulped leaves of A. americana to create paper. The fragments known as the Humboldt fragments were made using this technique.