Agave mckelveyana
Agave mckelveyana
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 mckelveyana is an evergreen, stemless, succulent plant forming a rosette that can be 20 - 40cm tall. The leaves on mature plants can each be 20 - 35cm long and 3 - 5cm wide near the base. After several years of growth, a flowering stem that can be around 2 - 3 metres tall is produced, after which the rosette will die. However, the plant sometimes produces a number of young plants around its base that will develop as new plants[ 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 plant was collected by indigenous peoples for use as food, but does not seem to be used at present. This seeds and whole plants of this species are sold in the horticultural trade (probably gathered from the wild) for use 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. ] Agave mckelveyana has a relatively small range and extent of occurrence, but can be found in 16 - 20 locations. The overall population seems stable and declines are localised and not sufficient to trigger a threatened category. The plant is classified as 'Near Threatened' 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. ].