 |     By Gayla Sanders
The agave is a succulent, with leaves that form a tight
rosette spiraling from the nutrient-rich centre or heart
of the plant. The leaves range in size from five to eight feet tall at
maturity and have sharp, serrated edges that sometimes (depending on the
species) are lined with teeth or pointed spines. At maturity (five to ten
years depending on the species and growing conditions) the plant produces
one flower stalk from its centre after which the plant withers and dies. It
is due to this type of life cycle (one flower per plant) that the agave is
considered to be an annual, even though its life span is so
long.
The agave goes by several common and uncommon names. It is referred to as
The Century Plant, American Aloe (it is not an aloe), green cow, and Maguey
(pronounced ‘mah-gay’). Maguey is the word the Spanish conquerors gave to
the agave and the name is still in use today in Mexico. However, it was
first called metl by the Mesoamerican tribe, the Nahuatl of which the Aztecs
are descended. Metl was so valuable to the Aztecs that the name of the land
they settled in, Mexico, actually means "those fed from the navel of the
maguey". This plant is so sacred and revered historically by the indigenous
peoples of Mexico, that through mythology, religion and lifestyle it is
completely rooted within the cultural history of Mexico.
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Agave rosette and serrated leaves |
