Agave karwinskii
Agave karwinskii
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 karwinskii is an evergreen, succulent plant forming a dense rosette of leaves upon a short trunk that can be 30 - 70cm tall. The rosette can be 60 - 100cm tall and 100 - 150cm in diameter. Mature plants can consist of around 80 - 100 spiny leaves that can each be up 40 - 60cm long and 2 - 4cm wide near the base. After several years of growth, a flowering stem that can be up to 3 - 4 metres tall is produced, after which the rosette will die. However, the plant usually produces a number of suckers around its base that will develop as new plants[ 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 ]. This is one of the most sought after species for commercial use in mezcal production, a distilled alcoholic beverage that is very popular in Mexico and is also exported. It is harvested from the wild on a large scale, often with some degree of management, and is also cultivated, especially in living fences[ 317 Title Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants Publication Author Website http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Terse details of a huge range of useful plants. ]. Agave karwinskii is only known from two to four locations, and population numbers are declining steeply due to the rapidly increasing demand for mature individuals for use in mescal production. The plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2019), and if current extraction rates continue, it will need to be reassessed[ 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. ].