Agave

Agave, in Greek mythology

Agave (əgā`vē): see Pentheus.

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agave, in botany

agave: see amaryllis.

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agave

any plant of the genus Agave, native to tropical America, with tall flower stalks rising from a massive, often armed, rosette of thick fleshy leaves: family Agavaceae. Some species are the source of fibres such as sisal or of alcoholic beverages such as pulque and tequila

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Agave 

a plant genus of the amaryllis family. The stem is short, with a rosette of big leaves; in many strains the leaves are fleshy and prickly. The agave blooms from its sixth to its 15th year (rarely later) and forms a floriferous shoot (up to 12 m high) with many blossoms (up to 17,000). When the fruit is ripe, the part of the plant above the ground dies, and in many strains new plants grow from the root stock.

There are more than 300 wild strains of agave in Mexico and the adjoining areas. The agave was exported to Europe soon after the discovery of America. The most frequently cultivated strain is the Agave americana, which is grown as a decorative plant in the Mediterranean area. In the USSR it is grown in the parks of the southern shore of the Crimea and the Black Sea shore of the Caucasus.

The leaves of many agave strains are used to make ropes, strings, binder twines, mats, packing material, and other coarse fabrics; the wastes are used to make paper, primarily wrapping paper. Some agave strains are grown for fiber in the tropical zones of both hemispheres. Some of the most valuable strains are the Agave sisalana, which yields sisal, the Agave fouteroydes, which yields henequen (Yucatán sisal), and the Agave cantala, which yields cantala. The sugary juice of the Agave atrovirens and other strains, which is extracted before the blossoming, is used to make alcoholic beverages such as pulque and mescal. In Mexico the roots of some agave strains are used in medicine. The Agave americana, Agave attenuata, Agave victoriaereginae, and many others are grown as novel house and greenhouse plants.