Agave mapisaga
Agave mapisaga
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 mapisaga is an evergreen, succulent plant, sometimes with a short trunk, forming a rosette of leaves that can be 200 - 250cm tall and 250 - 450cm in diameter. Mature plants can produce around 30 - 50 spiny leaves that can each be 150 - 250cm long and 20 - 30cm wide near the base. After several years of growth, a flowering stem that can be 5 - 9 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. This species has been cultivated and domesticated for thousands of years, mainly for the production of fine pulque, a fermented drink that is popular in Mexico. The plant is also harvested for local use as a food and source of materials[ 1207 Title Flora del Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Publication Author Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/118975#/summary Publisher Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Year 1993 - 2015 ISBN 968-36-3108-8 Description An excellent flora (in Spanish) of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán biosphere reserve in southeastern Mexico. It can be downloaded from the Internet ]