Scientific name:Agave parryi var. huachucensis (Agave huachucensis)
Country of origin: Mexico (Sonora, northeastern Chihuahua), United States (southeastern Arizona, New Mexico)
Description
Among members of genus Agave, has medium-size seeds and is an evergreen succulent plant with a rosette height of 45–75 cm and width of 75–85 cm. Leaf width is 10–20 cm and length 27–65 cm. The leaves are lanceolate and are light gray or light bluish green. The edges of the leaves are mostly straight and have red-brown serrated teeth of various sizes. It naturally grows in areas at altitude of 1,150–2,175 m. It is cold tolerant (can grow at −9°C or higher) and can be cultivated in any kind of soil. Propagation is performed by seeding or new bulbs.
The sap has been used as a raw material for aguamiel and the Mexican distilled liquor mezcal. The indigenous peoples used the core as food and leaves as food and raw material for fiber.
Uses:
Core (food, beverages), sap (beverages)
References
Genty, H.S. 1972. The Agave Family in Sonora. Agriculture Handbook. No.399.
Agriculture Research Service, United States Department of. Agriculture,
Washington, D.C., USA. (http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/CAT87209091/PDF)
Gentry, H.S. 1982. Agaves of Continental North America. The University
of Texas Press, Tuscon, Arizona, USA.
Irish, M., Irish, G. 2000. Agave, Yuccas, and Related Plants: A Gardener’s Guide. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, USA.
Parker, K.C., Tranpnell, D.W., Hamrick, J.L., Hodgson, W.C. 2014. Genetic
and morphological contrasts between wild and anthropogenic populations
of Agave parryi var. huachucensis in south-eastern Arizona. Annals of Botany 113: 939-952.
Tull, D. 2013. Edible and useful plants of the southwest: Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. University of Texas Press, Texas, USA.
