Agave tequilana - tequila agave (7cm square vase)

Genus of over 200 species of rosette-forming monocarpic perennials and succulents of desert and mountainous regions of North and Central America. Agave tequilana is a large species and reaches 3-3.5 m in height and an equal width when mature. It has long, rigid, glaucous-coloured leaves up to 1.5/2 m long and 12-15 cm wide which have robust spines at the tips and minute thorns at the edges. After flowering, which generally occurs after 15-20 years, the plant dies. This species, like several other species, produces numerous propagules (offspring) at the apex of the inflorescence, which promptly root when they fall to the ground. Agave tequilana hardly produces seeds as it is a sterile human selection (triploid). It is an important Mexican economic resource for the production of tequila and for agave juice used as a sweetener.

Pedoclimatic needs

It adapts to all types of soil as long as it is well drained and exposed to full sun. In moderately fertile soil it reaches impressive dimensions and is therefore not suitable for growing in pots. Not very rustic species, it cannot tolerate frost. Grow outdoors where temperatures do not drop below 0-2°c. During the dry season it resists drought well, although it benefits from regular irrigation by waiting for the earth to dry between one irrigation and another.

Botanical Information

Botanical Name: Agave tequilana

Family: Agaveceae