Agave bovicornuta
Agave bovicornuta
Safety & Hazards
The juice of the plant is caustic and produces a temporary dermatitis on tender skin, with a burning sensation, inñammation, and white welts or blisters. Some people are more susceptible than others. Washing with soap only increases the burning. It is better to wipe dry or wash with clear water only[ 1842 Title The Agave Family in Sonora; Agriculture Handbook No. 399 Publication Author Gentry H.S. Publisher Agicultural Research Service, USDA; Washington D.C. Year 1972 ISBN Description Gives quite a lot of information on the traditional uses of the plants. ]. 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 ]. The Western Tarahumara use Agave vilmoriniana, which is rich in sapogenins, and Agave bovicornuta and Agave wocomahi, the toxic constituents of which are unknown, to stupefy fish trapped in rock enclosures or pools in rivers. The plants are mashed on a rock, the juices are allowed to drain into the river and then the mashed plants are thrown into the water. Several plants are needed to stupefy the trapped fish which, upon reaching the surface, are collected[ 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. ]
Botanical Description
Agave bovicornuta is an evergreen, stemless, succulent plant forming a rosette of leaves that can be 80 - 100cm tall and 150 - 200cm in diameter. The more or less spoon-shaped leaves on mature plants can each be 60 - 100cm long and 14 - 20cm wide in the middle. After several years of growth, a flowering stem that can be around 5 - 7 metres tall is produced, after which the rosette will die[ 1842 Title The Agave Family in Sonora; Agriculture Handbook No. 399 Publication Author Gentry H.S. Publisher Agicultural Research Service, USDA; Washington D.C. Year 1972 ISBN Description Gives quite a lot of information on the traditional uses of the plants. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and to make the distilled beverage 'mezcal'. An attractive plant, it is commonly grown as an ornamental[ 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. , 1842 Title The Agave Family in Sonora; Agriculture Handbook No. 399 Publication Author Gentry H.S. Publisher Agicultural Research Service, USDA; Washington D.C. Year 1972 ISBN Description Gives quite a lot of information on the traditional uses of the plants. ]. Agave bovicornuta has a relatively wide range but small and isolated subpopulations, its biology makes it particularly vulnerable since it only reproduces by seed and it dies after reproduction. It is suspected that the collection of plants and seeds for horticulture and the heavy harvest of flowers for human consumption has and will continue to cause declines in the population. The plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' 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. ].