Agave is a succulent plant with a rosette of fleshy, spiny leaves endemic to Mexico, parts of South America, and some southwest states in the U.S. Agave is not related to cactus, a common misconception, but is related to the Yucca. There are some 500 species and varieties of Agave making it a diverse and fascinating plant. “Ci” in Maya is the word for agave, hence, there is bab-ci (A. angustifolia), Zac-ci (A. fourcroydes), yaax-ci (A. sisalana), etc. Agave has a vast array of uses, as a food source (the flowers, leaves and sap are edible), for fencing and hedgerows, as ornamentals, to make fiber and hemp, to make mescal and tequila and medicinal uses. Agave is monocarpic, meaning that it flowers only once then dies. Agave is often referred to as “century plants” so named due to folklore that says these plants live for 100 years before flowering and dying, although most live 10 – 25 years. The name “century plant” generally referrs to A. americana. In Greek mythology, Agave (meaning “illustrious”) was the daughter of King Cadmus, founder of Thebes, Greece.                                                                               -Wikipedia

I have found Agave somewhat difficult to represent adequately on this site because of the numerous varieties that have been derived from cultivation. Differences in morphologies may mean that a plant looks one way when growing wild, and look very different when cultivated. Initially, I have included common, more easily identifiable species. This is a work in progress and will be refined as I continue to research this interesting plant. For more detailed information on Agave, see Agaves of Continental North America by Howard Gentry available from the University of Arizona Press now back in print – 2004.