Agaves: More Than Just a Pretty Plant

Aguamiel translated from the pre-columbian Nahuatl language is "honey water", describing a sweet liquid secreted at the heart of the agave. It was collected and fermented into an alcoholic drink known to the Aztecs as "pulque."

Pulque consumption was strictly regulated. If you were under the age of 52, you could drink two cups a day. If over 52, you could enjoy three. And if you were a priest and practiced human sacrifice for the pulque goddess Mayahuel, you could down five! Yet anyone found drunk on pulque was put to death. Fortunately, the "civilized" Spanish conquerors made it OK to get sauced on pulque no matter what age you were.

Further north, many agave species were known generally as mescal, and used so extensively by certain Apaches they became known as Mescalero Apaches. They also utilized the fibers that run the length of agave leaves, a factor that distinguishes this genus of plants from the similar looking fleshy aloes. Known as maguey (maw-gay) in central Mexico, agave is considered the earliest fibers ever used in North America. Some believe they are among the first plants ever cultivated in these regions.

With so much history, agaves belong in every ethnobotanical garden. They also make first-class landscape plants that are architecturally dramatic and tough as nails. But agave does not flower every year like the aloes, yuccas and gasterias. The cycle of the agave begins with an individual "mother" plant. This produces adventurous roots that spread out in all directions and produce "pups" or new shoots all around the base of the mother.
Eventually, the mother will bloom with an extraordinary tall bloom spike that in some species may reach 20 feet. Sadly, she will die soon after the flowers mature and set seed. But worry not, because the pups will quickly fill in the gap where she once stood. Pups make it very easy to obtain an agave by cutting them away from the mother plant with a bit of root attached.

In today's garden, just a few agaves are widely available and reasonably well adapted where winters are mild. The most common in the United States is Agave americana, or the century plant, a large blue fleshed species with wicked thorns hardy to 15 degrees. Erroneously named, these plants need not reach a century old to flower. It occurs at 10 to 30 years of age depending on the climate.

The variegated form of this species is far more dramatic in the landscape. Its long leaves are more twisted and striped with gold. Another variegated form with creamy white accent is sold as Agave americana media picta. It makes a superior single specimen so its color and form are appreciated in isolation.

Perhaps the most widely planted agave in moist, frost-free coastal regions is Agave attenuata. Its soft tip, succulent sea green rosettes blend nicely into more traditional landscapes. They make an outstanding container plant. When this species blooms, it produces a huge, pendulous spike similar to a monstrous elephant trunk.

The most expensive of all is Agave victoriae-reginae, which hails from a small area in Mexico where it is now considered rare and endangered. This agave is treasured for its tight rosettes and green leaves marked by clear white striation. A mature plant may cost as much as $1,000 because they grow so slowly. But younger ones are far more affordable if you have time and attention to spend. They are treasured container plants grown indoors for the winter in cold climates.

This is just a glimpse into the immense world of agaves that have impacted cultures on every continent but Antarctica. Few plants are as well known and least recognized, however. Despite their beauty, utility and sheer grandeur, it is aguamiel, pulque, tequila and mescal that have put the agave on the map.

For more information on the world of agaves, try this unique German website: www.agavaceae.com.
To buy agave online, log on to www.desertplants.com.

(Maureen Gilmer is a horticulturist and host of Weekend Gardener on DIY-Do It Yourself Network. E-mail her at mo@moplants.com. For more information, visit www.moplants.com or www.diynet.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)