| Common Name |
New Mexico Agave, Mescal, New Mexico Century Plant |
| Latin Name |
Agave neomexicana |
| Native Habitat |
Between 5,000 and 7,000 feet in Chihuahuan Desert |
| Soil |
Dry decomposed granite, limestone, sand, low organic
content, well drained |
| Water |
None to once per month |
| Height X Width |
2 X 2 feet |
| Protective Mechanism |
Spines |
| Leaves |
Evergreen, smooth pale blue-green, succulent |
| Garden Suitability |
Hummingbird, Moonlight, Sonoran, Fire Retardant |
| Ornamental Value |
Evergreen, yellow flower once in spring |
| Nature Value |
Flowers used by nectirvorous bats, hummingbirds,
butterflies, and bees; browse for deer, javelina, larval plant for
butterflies |
| Native American Uses |
Fiber for bowstrings, brushes, cradles, nets, slings, shoes, skirts,
mats, rope, thread, baskets, and snares. Fresh root used as soap and
shampoo. All parts of plant eaten. Sap consumed as a fresh drink or
fermented into pulque. |
| Links |
|
| Images, and
data |
http://aggiehorticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/nativeshrubs/agaveneomex.htm |
| Images and data |
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Agavaceae/Agave_neomexicana.html |
| Images and data |
http://museum.utep.edu/chih/gardens/plants/agavneom.htm |
| Image |
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1384013726031168545VrPYTn |
| Distribution map |
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=8835&flora_id=1 |
| Nursery, images, and
data |
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/12734/ |
