Agave ( , English also , Anglo-Hispanic: ) is a genus of monocots from hot and dry regions of Mexico and the Southwest United States. Some agave species also come from the tropics of South America. This plant is immortal, but each rosette flower once and then die (see semelparity). Some species are known by the name "century plants".
Agave tequilana , agave azul or blue agave, is used in the production of tequila. Agave nectar, also called agave syrup, sweetener derived from Agave sap, is used as an alternative to sugar in cooking, and can be added to breakfast cereals as a binding agent.
Video Agave
Description
Agaves are succulents with large thick rosette, fleshy leaves, with most species ending in a sharp spine. The stout stem is usually short, its leaves seem to grow from its roots. Along with the crops of the genus associated Yucca, various Agave species are ornamental plants that are popular in hot and dry climates, because they require very little water to survive.
Each rosette is monocarpic and grows slowly until it blooms only once. During flowering, a high stem or "pole" ("quiote" in Mexico) grows from the center of the leaf rosette and bears a large number of short tubular flowers. After the development of the fruit, the original plant dies, but the suction is often generated from the base of the stem, which becomes a new plant.
It is a common misconception that agaves are cactus. They are not associated with cactus, nor are they closely related to Aloe whose leaves are similar in appearance.
Agave species are used as food crops by larvae of several species of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), including Batrachedra striolata , which has been recorded on A. shawii . Adaptation
The agave root system, which consists of a network of shallow rhizomes, is designed to help agave capture moisture from rain, condensation and moisture efficiently. In addition to growing from seed, most agaves produce 'puppies' - young plants from runners. Agave vilmoriniana (agave octopus) produces hundreds of puppies in the blooming stem. Agave leaves store plant water and is essential for its continuity. The coated leaf surface prevents evaporation. The leaves also have sharp and sharp edges. Nails prevent predators from eating plants or using them as a water source and it is very difficult that ancient people use them for sewing needles. The sap is sour. Agaves bloom at an altitude of up to 30 ft (9 m) so that they are out of reach of animals that might attack them. Smaller species, such as Agave lechuguilla , have smaller flower stalks.
Maps Agave
Taxonomy
In the APG III system, the genus is placed in the Agavoideae subfamily of the widely circumscribed Asparagaceae family. Some authors prefer to place it in separate Agavaceae families. Traditionally, it is limited to comprise about 166 species, but is now usually understood to have about 208 species.
In the Cronquist system and others, Agave is placed in the Liliaceae family, but the phylogenetic analysis of the DNA sequence then shows it is not included there. In the APG II system, Agave is placed in the Agavaceae family. When the system was replaced by the APG III system in 2009, Agavaceae was incorporated into the extended family of Asparagaceae, and Agave was treated as one of 18 genera in the subfamily of Agavoideae.
Agave has long been treated as a genus of about 166 species, but the concept of Agave is now known as paraphyletic over the Manfreda >, and Prochnyanthes . This generation is now combined with Agave as Agave sensu lato , which contains about 208 species. In some older classifications, Agave is divided into two subgenera, Agave and Littaea , based on the inflorescence. These two subgenera may not be monophiletic.
Agaves has long presented a special difficulty for taxonomy; variations within a species may be large, and a number of the species mentioned origin are unknown and may be only variants of native wild species.
Spanish and Portuguese explorers may bring agave plants back to Europe, but the plants became popular in Europe during the 19th century, when many species were imported by collectors. Some have been continuously propagated with offsets since then, and do not consistently resemble species known in the wild, though this may be only because of differences in growth conditions in Europe.
The usual species grow
Beberapa spesies yang biasa ditanam termasuk Agave americana , Agave angustifolia , Agave tequilana , Agave attenuata, Agave parviflora , Agave murpheyi , Agave vilmoriniana , Agave palmeri , Agave parryi dan Agave victoriae -reginae .
Agave americana
One of the best known species is Agave americana, a native of tropical America. Common names include the medieval plant, maguey (in Mexico), or the American tongue (not related to the genus Aloe ). The name "century plant" refers to the time it takes for plants to bloom. The number of years before flowering occurs depends on the strength of individual plants, soil richness, and climate; during these years the plants store in the fleshy leaves the food needed for the flowering business.
Agave americana, a century factory, was introduced to southern Europe around the mid-16th century, and is now widely cultivated as an ornamental, as in America. In a multitudinous form, the leaves have a white or yellow diameter or marginal line. When the leaves are revealed from the center of the rosette, the impression of marginal spines is striking on young leaves that are still erect. Plants need protection from frost. They mature very slowly and die after flowering, but are easily propagated by offset from the base of the stem.
Blue A. americana occurs in abundance in Karoo, and the arid highlands of South Africa. Introduced by British settlers in 1820, the plant was originally cultivated and used as an emergency feed for livestock. Today it is used mainly for the production of syrup and sugar.
Agave attenuata
A. attenuata is a native of central Mexico and unusual in its natural habitat. Unlike most agave species, A. attenuata has a curved interest spike from which it acquires one of many common names - agave foxes. A. attenuata is also commonly grown as a garden plant. Unlike many agaves, A. attenuata has no tooth or thorn terminal, making it an ideal place for the area adjacent to the walkway. Like all agaves, A. attenuata is succulent and requires little water or treatment once established. Agave tequilana
Agave azul (blue agave) is used in tequila production. In 2001, the Mexican Government and the European Union approved the classification of tequila and its category. All 100% blue agave tequila has to be made from Agave Blue agave plant Blue Weber, for strict specifications and only in certain Mexican states.
Usage
Ethnobotany agave described by William H. Prescott in 1843:
But the wonder of nature is a large, or rough, Mexican cork that groups flower pyramids, towering above the coronates of its dark leaves, visible sprinkled over a large area of ​​table land. Because we have noticed that its bruised leaves give the paste of the paper it creates, the juice is fermented into intoxicating, pulque, which by the natives, to this day, is well-liked; the leaves further provide an impenetrable straw for a lower dwelling; the yarn, which the crude goods are made, and the strong ropes, drawn from hard and crooked fibers; pins and needles are made of thorns on the tip of the leaves; and its roots, when properly cooked, are converted into delicious and nutritious food. Agave, in short, is meat, drinks, clothing, and writing materials for the Aztecs! Surely, Nature never attaches in such a dense form that many elements of human comfort and civilization!
There are four main parts of agave that can be eaten: flowers, leaves, stems or basal roses, and sap (in Spanish: aguamiel , meaning "water honey").
Each agave plant will produce a few pounds of edible flowers during its last season. Stalks, which are ready during the summer, before bloom, weigh a few pounds each. Baked, they are sweet and can be chewed to extract aguamiel , like sugar cane. When dried, the stem can be used to make the didgeridoos. Leaves can be collected in winter and spring, when the plants are rich in sap, to eat. The leaves of several species also produce fibers: for example, Agave sisalana , sisal hemp, Agave decipiens , false sisal hemp. Agave Americana is the source of ribbon fiber, and is used as a fiber factory in Mexico, West Indies and southern Europe.
During the development of the inflorescence, the sap flows into the base of the young flower stem. Agave nectar (also called agave syrup), a sweetener derived from sap, is used as a sugar substitute in cooking, and can be added to breakfast cereals as a binding agent. The sap from A. americana and other species is used in Mexico and Mesoamerica to produce pulque , alcoholic beverages. Flower buds are cut and the sap is collected and further fermented. By distillation, a spirit called mezcal is prepared; one of the most famous mezcal forms is tequila.
When dried and cut into slices, the flowering stems form a natural razor cuttings, and the juice expressed from the leaves will foam in water like soap. Native Mexicans use agave to make pens, nails, and needles, as well as ropes for sewing and weaving. Leaf tea or tincture taken orally is used to treat constipation and excess gas. It is also used as a diuretic. Root or tincture tea is taken orally to treat rheumatic joints. Some agave species are also considered to have potential as an effective bioenergy crop. Agave's ability to grow in a naturally limited environment of water can help reduce food versus fuel exchanges.
Agave, especially Agave murpheyi , is the main food source for prehistoric native peoples in the Southwest United States. Hohokam from southern Arizona cultivates a large agave area.
Navajo also found many uses for agave plants. Drinks are squeezed from roasted fibers, and heads can be roasted or boiled, pounded into flat sheets, dried and stored for future use. Roast, dried heads are also boiled and made into edible paste, eaten whole, or made into soup. The leaves are eaten boiled, and the young stems are flowering softly and the shoots are roasted and eaten as well. Fiber is used to make ropes, leaves are used to coat the bread holes, and sharp pointed tip is used to make basketball.
Images of species and cultivars
Species
See also
- Agave nectar
- Sisal
References
Bibliography
- Howard Scott Gentry, Agave of Continental North America (University of Arizona Press, 1982), standard work, with a 136 species account.
- Alwin Berger, Die Agaven (Jena, 1915). [1]
- Original Plant Information Network More information about species within the genus Agave .
- Xeric World An online community dedicated to the study of Xeric plant species with a focus on the Agavaceae family.
- Kolendo, Jan. Agave page. [2]
- Davidson, Alan (1999). The Oxford Companion to Food . Oxford: The Oxford University Press. ISBN: 0-19-211579-0.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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