The agave is a plant with stiff sword-shaped spiny leaves arranged in a rosette.
There are hundreds of species of agave, some reaching 30ft tall.
All species of the genus Agave are native to desert regions of the western hemisphere. The best-known species is Agave americana, the American aloe or century plant, which usually flowers only once, when it is between 10 and 25 years old. Shortly before it flowers, a long stalk grows rapidly upward to a height of about 12 m (about 40 ft).
The flowers are large and greenish and cover short, horizontal branches that spring from the upper half of the stalk.
Some plants die after flowering, but rhizomes of suckers often develop into new plants. The plant may also be grown from seeds, bulbs, or underground stems.
The plant draws in gallons of water in spring and autumn to survive arid summers and winters.
The agave has large, thick, and fleshy leaves, which can store considerable quantities of water. They are spiked, particularly at the tips, are evergreen, and grow to a length of about 2 m (about 6 ft) in a cluster around the base of the plant.
The agave, especially Agave murpheyi, was a major food source for the prehistoric indigenous people of the Southwestern United States. The four major edible parts of the agave are the flowers, the leaves, the stalks or basal rosettes.
Agave have been used for centuries to make many things. The Sisal, native to the West Indies but now also grown in Mexico and various tropical countries of Africa, yields sisal or sisal hemp. This can be made into rope, matting or soles for shoes, while the spiked edges of their leaves can be fashioned into sewing needles.
The roots of some species yield a pulp that produces a lather when wet and is used as soap. Such soap plants are called amoles.
Each plant produces up to 1,000 litres of sap, which the Aztecs fermented plant to make a beverage which they called octli (later, and more popularly called pulque), It has the color of milk and a sour yeast-like taste.
A colorless liqueur, mescal, is made from the cooked heart of certain agave plants. One of the best-known forms of mezcal is tequila, which is made from the Blue Agave plant.
It takes at least eight years for the Blue Agave plant to mature enough to be used to make tequila.
Without bats there would be no tequila. The agave plant is pollinated by bats.
Agave nectar, a sweetener derived from the sap, is often used as a substitute for sugar or honey, and can be added to breakfast cereals as a binding agent.
Juice extracted from the blue agave plant can help dissolve fats and lower cholesterol.
Source Daily Mail
There are hundreds of species of agave, some reaching 30ft tall.
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| Pixiebay |
The flowers are large and greenish and cover short, horizontal branches that spring from the upper half of the stalk.
Some plants die after flowering, but rhizomes of suckers often develop into new plants. The plant may also be grown from seeds, bulbs, or underground stems.
The plant draws in gallons of water in spring and autumn to survive arid summers and winters.
The agave has large, thick, and fleshy leaves, which can store considerable quantities of water. They are spiked, particularly at the tips, are evergreen, and grow to a length of about 2 m (about 6 ft) in a cluster around the base of the plant.
The agave, especially Agave murpheyi, was a major food source for the prehistoric indigenous people of the Southwestern United States. The four major edible parts of the agave are the flowers, the leaves, the stalks or basal rosettes.
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| Agave field. Wikipedia |
Agave have been used for centuries to make many things. The Sisal, native to the West Indies but now also grown in Mexico and various tropical countries of Africa, yields sisal or sisal hemp. This can be made into rope, matting or soles for shoes, while the spiked edges of their leaves can be fashioned into sewing needles.
The roots of some species yield a pulp that produces a lather when wet and is used as soap. Such soap plants are called amoles.
Each plant produces up to 1,000 litres of sap, which the Aztecs fermented plant to make a beverage which they called octli (later, and more popularly called pulque), It has the color of milk and a sour yeast-like taste.
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| Pulque By AlejandroLinaresGarcia |
It takes at least eight years for the Blue Agave plant to mature enough to be used to make tequila.
Without bats there would be no tequila. The agave plant is pollinated by bats.
Agave nectar, a sweetener derived from the sap, is often used as a substitute for sugar or honey, and can be added to breakfast cereals as a binding agent.
Juice extracted from the blue agave plant can help dissolve fats and lower cholesterol.
Source Daily Mail
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