// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Agave fourcroydes say? "I'm a-maize-d
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| Henequen | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asparagaceae |
| Subfamily: | Agavoideae |
| Genus: | Agave |
| Species: | A. fourcroydes |
| Binomial name | |
| Agave fourcroydes | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Agave fourcroydes, commonly known as henequen, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to southern Mexico and Guatemala.[1][2] It is cultivated, particularly in eastern Mexico, for its leaf fiber, known as henequen and used to make rope, twine, and other products.[3]
Like sisal, A. fourcroydes is a sterile hybrid that is propagated vegetatively rather than from seed. It produces bulbils and suckers, although cultivation generally relies on suckers.
Description
[edit]Agave fourcroydes can have a trunk as tall as 1.7 m (5.6 ft). It has a rosette of long narrow (lanceolate) leaves about 1.2–1.8 m (4–6 ft) long and 8–13 cm (3–5 in) wide. The leaves are gray-green and have widely spaced teeth along their edges and a strong dark brown terminal spine 2–2.5 cm (0.8–1.0 in) long. Numerous offsets are produced so that very large plants may form. The green to yellow flowers are produced in a many-branched panicle 5–6 m (16–20 ft) tall. A. fourcroydes is sterile, so no seeds are produced, but many bulbils appear after flowering.[4]
Cultivation
[edit]The leaves of Agave fourcroydes yield a fiber also called henequen, which is suitable for rope and twine but not of as high a quality as sisal.[5] It has been cultivated for fibre in eastern Mexico for many years, most commonly in Yucatán, Veracruz, and Tamaulipas, and has been grown widely elsewhere, for ornament as well as for fibre.[4] It is also used to make licor del henequén, a traditional Mexican alcoholic drink.[citation needed] It may be used as an ornamental plant in areas where temperatures below −2 °C (28 °F) do not occur, as it is frost tender.[4]
It can be propagated either from its bulbils or from offsets.[4]
The first person of Spanish descent to document the plant and its usefulness for ropes and other naval utensils was José María Lanz,[according to whom?] a Mexican-born engineer in service of the Spanish Navy, who studied henequen in Yucatán in 1783.[non-primary source needed]
Mezcal
[edit]Henequen, like other species of agave, is used in the production of mezcal.[citation needed]
Gallery
[edit]
Henequen farm in Yucatán Peninsula.
Henequen being harvested in 1922 for pulp to make paper.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "Agave fourcroydes Lem". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
- ↑ Verloove, F.; Smith, G.F. (2024). "An update on Agave and Furcraea (Agavaceae; Asparagaceae sensu lato) escaped and naturalised in Madeira". Bradleya. 42: 186–196. doi:10.25223/brad.n42.2024.a20.
- ↑ "Henequen | Agave fourcroydes, Mexican fiber, Sisal | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 Irish, Mary & Irish, Gary (2000). "Agave fourcroydes Lemaire". Agaves, Yuccas and Related Plants : A Gardener's Guide. Portland; London: Timber Press. pp. 122–123. ISBN 978-0-88192-442-8.
- ↑ "Henequen | Agave fourcroydes, Mexican fiber, Sisal | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
Further reading
[edit]- Gentry, Howard Scott (1982). Agaves of Continental North America. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press. pp. 573–576. ISBN 978-0-8165-2395-5.
- Lanz, José María (October 15, 1783). Observaciones que el alférez de fragata D. José Maria de Lanz, forma sobre la planta nombrada henequen, sus utilidades, y lo conveniente de su fomento, en cumplimiento de la comision con que lo despacho á Yucatan para la inspeccion de la járcia de esta especie, el Sr. D. Francisco de Borja, jefe de escuadra de la real armada, y comandante de las fuerzas maritimas del departamento de la Habana [Observations made by Ensign José Maria de Lanz on the plant called "henequen", its uses, and the advisability of its promotion, in compliance with the commission with which he is dispatched to Yucatan for the inspection of the rigging of this species, by Mr. Francisco de Borja, squadron leader of the royal navy, and commander of the maritime forces of the department of Havana]. [publisher and location unknown].[full citation needed] Reprinted in Lanz, José María (1846). "Title as above" [Title translation as above]. Registro Yucateco: Periodico Literario, Redactado por una Sociedad de Amigos. 3. Merida, Yucatan: Castillo Y Compania: 81–95. Retrieved March 12, 2026.[full citation needed]
External links
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