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Extreme heat in the Southwest is testing iconic desert plants like agave. ... a new danger: months of oppressive heat that have dried out branches and caused dieback in clusters of its drooping ...
Agave sanpedroensis is a perennial rosette-forming plant with succulent leaves, 50–70 cm tall and wide and producing abundant offsets.The leaves are stiffly upright, gray to grayish green, with conspicuous banding and white bud-imprinting, and undulate margins.
Rushing has a personal experience with agave plants, which can cause skin irritation, swelling, redness and sores within minutes to hours of exposure. The sap is the most irritating part of the plant.
Agave leaves store the plant's water and are crucial to its continued existence. The coated leaf surface prevents evaporation. The leaves also have sharp, spiked edges. The spikes discourage predators from eating the plant or using it as a source of water and are so tough that ancient peoples used them for sewing needles. The sap is acidic ...
Agave ovatifolia is a representative of the group Parryanae and grows endemic to the Sierra de Lampazos in North Nuevo Leon in Mexico. Plants were first found by nickel (1870) and known as "Agave Noah". William Trelease classified this invalidly described species as a synonym of Agave wislizenii in 1911. Characteristic are the compact, more ...
Agave takes little water but presents other challenges. The plant typically takes at least seven years to grow and is tough to harvest, and a mature plant can weigh hundreds of pounds. Once cut ...
The Caribs were also known to poison the water supply of their enemies with the leaves. [citation needed] Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León was struck by an arrow that had been poisoned with manchineel sap during battle with the Calusa in Florida, dying shortly thereafter. [138] Hyacinthus orientalis: common hyacinth Asparagaceae
The leaves are parallel-veined, and usually appear long and pointed, often with a hardened spine on the end, and sometimes with additional spines along the margins. Agave species are used to make tequila, pulque, and mezcal, while others are valued for their fibers. They are quite popular for xeriscaping, as many have showy flowers.