Agave lechuguilla |
Agave mckelveyana |
|
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lecheguilla, lechuguilla |
Mckelvey agave |
|
Habit | Plants acaulescent, frequently suckering; rosettes openly cespitose, 3–4 × 5–6 dm. | Plants acaulescent, solitary or sparsely suckering; rosettes 2–4.5 × 3–6 dm, rather open. |
Leaves | mostly ascending to erect, (25–)30–50 × 2–4(–5.2) cm; blade light green to yellowish green, sometimes checkmarked but without bud-prints, linear-lanceolate, stiff, adaxially concave toward apex, abaxially convex toward base; margins straight, easily detached, nonfiliferous, conspicuously armed, teeth single 2–6 mm, mostly (1–)2–4 cm apart, rarely absent; apical spine grayish, conical to subulate, 1.5–4.5 cm. |
spreading, broadest at middle, 17.5–40 × 2.8–5 cm; blade light glaucous green or yellowish green to dark green, usually cross-zoned, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, rigid, adaxially concave, abaxially convex; margins straight or undulate to crenate, armed, teeth single, firmly attached, well defined, 4–8 mm, 1–3 cm apart; apical spine reddish brown to gray, subulate, 1.5–4 cm. |
Scape | (2–)2.5–3.5 m. Inflorescences spicate, densely flowered on distal 1/2; bracts caducous, linear, 1–3 cm; peduncle 2–5 mm, rarely 20–150 mm. |
2–5 m. Inflorescences paniculate, not bulbiferous, open; bracts persistent, triangular, 0.5–2 cm; lateral branches 10–19, ascending, comprising distal (1/4–)1/3–1/2 of inflorescence, longer than 10 cm. |
Flowers | 2–3 per cluster, erect to slightly recurved, (2.4–)3–4.5 cm; perianth yellow, frequently tinged with red or purple, tube campanulate, 1.5–4 × 6–12 mm, limb lobes ascending, subequal, 11–20 mm; stamens long-exserted; filaments inserted on rim of perianth tube, spreading, yellow to reddish, 2.5–4.2 cm; anthers pale yellow, (11–)15–20 mm; ovary (0.8–)1.5–2.2 cm, neck constricted (2–)4–8.5 mm. |
6–12 per cluster, erect, 3–4 cm; perianth light yellow, tube shallow, broadly campanulate, 2–4.5 × 8–10.5(–18) mm, limb lobes wilting soon after anthesis, spreading, equal or subequal, 11–13 mm; stamens long-exserted; filaments inserted near or at top of perianth tube, erect, yellow, 2.5–3.3 cm; anthers yellow, (7–)9–16 mm; ovary 1.6–2.2 cm, neck slightly constricted, 1–2.5 mm. |
Capsules | sessile or short-pedicellate, oblong, 1.8–2.5(–3) cm, apex beaked. |
short-pedicellate, narrowly oblong to oblong, 3–4.5 cm, apex beaked. |
Seeds | 4.5–6 mm. |
5–6.5 mm. |
2n | = 110–120. |
|
Agave lechuguilla |
Agave mckelveyana |
|
Phenology | Flowering mid spring–late summer. | Flowering mid spring–mid summer. |
Habitat | Gravelly to rocky calcareous places in desert scrub | Sandy to gravelly or rocky places with desert scrub, chaparral and pinyon-juniper woodlands |
Elevation | 500–1400 m (1600–4600 ft) | 800–2200 m (2600–7200 ft) |
Distribution |
NM; TX; n Mexico; e Mexico
|
AZ |
Discussion | Agave lechuguilla is the principal source of “istle” or “ixtle,” a hard fiber used for rope and known by the trade name “Tampico fibre.” The plant is poisonous to cattle, goats, and sheep. This species is the dominant agave on the Chihuahuan Desert. It hybridizes with A. havardiana, A. neomexicana, A. gracilipes, and A. ×glomeruliflora. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Agave mckelveyana may hybridize with A. deserti var. simplex and A. utahensis var. utahensis in Arizona. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 26, p. 449. | FNA vol. 26, p. 459. |
Parent taxa | Agavaceae > Agave | Agavaceae > Agave |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Torrey: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 213. (1859) | Gentry: Cact. Succ. J. (Los Angeles) 42: 225, figs. 4–6. (1970) |
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