Scientific Name: Agave americana* ?Exotic agave ?Named for its habit of flowering only occasionally ?Flowers are large and yellow ?The central flowering spike may reach a height of 25 ft., it will die after flowering ?If the stem is cut without flowering, a sweet liquid which gathers in the heart of the plant, agua miel, can be fermented to produce the drink pulque, and then distilled to produce mescal ?The leaves yield a fiber called pita, which can be used to make rope, matting, coarse cloth and embroidery for leather ?This drink pulque and the maguey fiber were important to the economy of pre-Columbian Mexico ?Agave syrup or nectar has been marketed as a sugar substitute ?Life-span is an average of 25 years ?Native to Mexico ?Also known as the American aloe
Photos: To be added.
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