2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
The desert doesn't always live up to its name. She gave the world many amazing plants from which you can learn endurance and unpretentiousness. Among them there are many decorative species that have slowly moved to greenhouses and gardens, as well as to indoor window sills. Multifunctional, viable, surprising with its diversity, Agave is a representative of this fabulous community
Give beauty before leaving
People often wonder why they came to this world, what is the meaning of life. Some find the answer, others leave without finding it. If a person turned his gaze to plants more often, he would have much fewer questions.
The Agave plant accumulates forces throughout its life in order to give them to posterity before leaving this world. It blooms only once in a life, delighting with its inflorescences, giving all the juices to ripening fruits, and then its above-ground part dies without regret and reproaches. In some species this occurs at the 6th year of life, in others at the 15th year, and there are those that bloom at the hundredth year.
Some types of agave
The succulent plant Agave has more than 300 species in its viable series. In some ways they are similar to each other, in others they are not very similar. For example, the leaves of all are succulent, that is, they store moisture in their tissues for future use, but the stem can be very short, or grow up to 3 meters in height. Some species have stocked up on protective thorns, while others do without them.
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American agave (Agave americana) is the most famous species that can be found in parks, gardens and greenhouses around the world. Here, this is the Black Sea coast, and as a greenhouse plant, agave grows much further north, for example, in the Leningrad region. Its varieties are popular: "Ribbed", "Striped", "Medium-sized" (with a yellow or white stripe in the center of the leaf).
American agave grows up to three meters in width and height. Although it is in no hurry to grow, it is still better to choose other types of agave as a houseplant. Although its ability to heal indoor air, getting rid of harmful toxins, turns the plant into a healer. In addition, its leaves, armed with thorns, help to cope with a number of human diseases.
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Agave thread (Agave filifera) - matte green thin leaves are collected in a loose basal rosette with a diameter of half a meter. The green of the leaves discharges the white stripes. For protection, each leaf was armed with a thorn located at its top. The "filamentous" agave owes its prefix to dry light fibers, which are separated from the leaf at its edges.
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Queen Victoria Agave (Agave victoriae-reginae) - a cute hedgehog made of oblong-triangular leaves grows very slowly, reaching a height of 20 centimeters. The triangular shape of its miniature leaves is emphasized by a white stripe, similar to a white thread stretched along the edge of the leaves.
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Agave colored (Agave colorata) - a rosette of jagged green leaves, casting blue, grows a little more than a meter in diameter. It grows very slowly. After 15 years, it produces a high peduncle, on which yellow and orange flowers appear from red buds.
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Agave sisal (Agave sisalana) - Its tough, fleshy leaves are the raw material for the fiber known as sisal. A lot of things that are needed in the household are made from fiber: fabrics for packaging purposes, ropes, twine, brushes, washcloths and even a target for the popular game "Darts".
A juicy flower stalk (pictured) of two meters in height feeds bees. People extract juice, citric acid from it. Concerned about birth control, the Chinese received sisal substances from Agave, which are very active contraceptives.
Usage
For the warm territories of our country, agaves are unpretentious and ornamental plants for the garden. Those who are unlucky with the heat grow them as a pot culture, removing the pots for the winter under the protection of walls and roofs.
It is unlikely that someone will begin to grow them in such quantities as to start producing "mezcal" or "tequila", for which Agave tequilana is needed. It is the core of this agave that is used in Mexico for the production of premium tequila.
But, for example, using agave juice from insect bites is very important.
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Agave
Agave - This is a genus of plants that belong to the subfamily Agave, in this genus there are more than three hundred different species. In the wild, these plants grow mainly in Central America, especially in Mexico. After the discovery of the New World, agaves became known in Europe.
Growing Agave Yourself
Agave is a perennial herb with rather short stems and thick, weighty leaves, which are organized into one rosette. The shape of the rosette and leaves changes and grows periodically. The leaves of this plant are usually pointed upwards. It happens that pointed thorns grow along the edges of the leaves. The size of the outlet can be varied. It can have a diameter of about five centimeters, or maybe no more than four centimeters
Queen Victoria Agave
Queen Victoria Agave is a leafy succulent, it is noteworthy that its juice can even irritate the skin, so this plant can be called somewhat poisonous. The plant is used to create beautiful rockeries and succulent gardens. In addition, surprisingly attractive mini-compositions are created from this plant.
American Agave
American agave (Agave americana) is a perennial herb that should be classified in the agave family. The leaves of this plant are quite large, they will be linear-lanceolate in shape, they taper towards the top, and then collect in a basal rosette, while there can be up to thirty leaves in the rosette.
Agave Tequila, Or Blue Agave
Agave tequilana (Latin Agave tequilana), or blue Agave (Spanish Agave azul) - a drought-resistant plant of the genus Agave (lat. Agave) of the Asparagus family (lat. Asparagaceae). Lovers of strong alcoholic drinks plant "Blue Agave"
