Agave cupreata
Agave cupreata
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 cupreata is an evergreen, short-stemmed, succulent plant forming a rosette of leaves that can be 80 - 120cm in diameter. The thickly-fleshy leaves on mature plants can each be 40 - 80cm long and 18 - 20cm wide near the base. After several years of growth, a flowering stem that can be around 4 - 7 metres tall is produced, after which the rosette will die. This species is one of the most widely used Agaves in the production of mezcal and the plant is cultivated, managed in the wild and also harvested from unmanaged wild populations in large quantities[ 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. ]. A beautiful plant that can be propagated by seed, it can be grown as an ornamental[ 1844 Title Agave Agavaceae Publication Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Monocotyledons, pp 21-311 Author Thiede J. Website https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-56486-8_111 Publisher Springer Nature Year 2020 ISBN Description ]. Agave cupreata is highly threatened. Over-exploitation of the species for use in the production of mezcal has extirpated numerous subpopulations and if current rates of extraction continue, the wild subpopulations of this species could be extirpated almost in their totality, especially in Michoacán. It is estimated that ongoing rates of decline have resulted in the loss of at least 50% of the population in the last 30 years (two generations), and are suspected to remain the same or increase in the future as demand for mescal increases. The plant is classified as 'Endangered' 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. ].