Hedgehog Agave
Maguey Espadín
Agave Striata
Below is the link to the Podcast in which we interview the Agave Striata
“I am distinguished by the long, thin leaves with a thorn at the tip that forms a compact, blueish-green sphere.”
Type Of Plant
The Agave Striata is an evergreen, perennial succulent plant. The plant starts blooming around late spring and by early summer it has bloomed.
Most Attractive Feature
Its most attractive feature are the ends of its leaves which when the plant is kept in the shade its leaves are gray-green with a sharp, dark brown terminal spine, but when exposed to direct sun for a longer period they become glaucous or tinged red, pink, or purple.
Location
The Agave Striata is mainly located in Eastern Mexico. Mainly it is from Coahuila and Nuevo León in the north down through southern Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosí to Querétaro and Hidalgo in the south.
What makes it unique?
The Agave Striata is unique because it is a winter evergreen plant. This means it remains beautiful and colorful all winter long!
Classification
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliospida
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Genus: Agave
Species: Agave Striata
Background Info
The Agave Striata grows up to have a height of 18 - 24 inches (45–60 centimeters) and a spread (width) of around 24 - 36 inches (60 - 90 centimeters). The flowers are shaped in a tubular-like shape and range from 1¼ to 1½ inches long (30-40 mm). The flower color can be more green to pale yellow to purple. The Agave Striata produces abundant offshoots or pups after flowering to form small colonies.
Cultural Importance
The Agave Striata is widely known for its long, pointy leaves and is evergreen characteristics. The genus name Agave comes from the Ancient Greek: αγαυή agauê from ἀγαυός agauós meaning "illustrious, noble" having to do with very tall flower spikes found on its many species.
Ecological Importance
The plant retains soil and humidity, which helps with infiltrating water into the ground. Its flowers bring bees, birds, bats, and other small mammals which helps with the pollination of other plants. It also creates a habitat for small insects and reptiles but mainly small lizards and snakes, which controls insect plagues and rodents inside the system.
Economic Importance
It is used for selling pulque, fiber extraction. It is also used to make necklaces and rosaries, as well as articles of common use such as morrales (bags) and mecapales (a sort of rope implement made of agave fiber that is used to carry bulks on the back and which is borne on the forehead). The plant also has fibers and a high concentration of carbohydrates.
Energy - How do plants obtain energy?
Plants get their energy from a process called photosynthesis, in which plants take in energy from the sun, water, and carbon dioxide to make glucose and oxygen.
They also “breathe” through cellular respiration. Which is the process by which organisms use oxygen to break down food molecules to obtain chemical energy for cell functions.
Ecology
Habitat
The Agave Striata is generally found on dry hills and on flats in the open desert. To learn more click the button below:
Ecological Role
Their flowers are a vital food source for a lot of wildlife, but it is midly toxic to humans. To learn more click the button below.
Conservation
The Agave Striata does not have a conservation status due to the fact that it is widespread and not under any threats. But it is in many deserts and because of global warming the temperature in said deserts is rising. This means that in the future the Agave Striata may not be able to survive in its current habitat.
What must be done?
Some actions that you can do to help endangered habitats are: advocating for endangered species, disposing of waste properly, avoiding using herbicides, making your home wildlife friendly, protecting wildlife habitats, advocating for conservation, recycling and buying sustainable products, reducing and reusing, reducing carbon footprint, buying sustainably, and organizing cleanups!
Food Web
Special Traits
A very special characteristic of this plant is the fact that it is a winter evergreen. This means that it is one of the few plants that can survive the entire year!
Advantages
It can last for a very long time due to its amazing characteristics that allow it to survive in the winter and be an evergreen perennial succulent plant.
Similar Species and Divergent Evolution
Agave Americana/ Century Plan
Homologous Structure: Thin colored points at the end of each leaf.
Agave bracteosa/ Spider Agave or Squid Agave
Homologous Structure: Long thin leaves.
Agave ‘Blue Glow’ / Blue Glow Agave
Homologous Structure: Dark tips of the leaves.
Evolutionary Timeline
This chart was taken from researchgate.net.
Podcast
Below is the link to the Podcast in which we interview the Agave Striata
Works Cited
“Agave Striata.” The Ruth Bancroft Garden & Nursery, 10 Feb. 2023, www.ruthbancroftgarden.org/plants/agave-striata/#:~:text=Agave%20striata%20is%20widespread%20in,and%20Hidalgo%20in%20the%20south. Accessed 27 May 2024.
“Agave Striata (Narrow Leaf Century Plant).” Gardenia, 2023, www.gardenia.net/plant/agave-striata-mountain-agave. Accessed 27 May 2024.
“Agave Striata Subsp. Striata | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science.” Plants of the World Online, 2024, powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77168944-1. Accessed 27 May 2024.
“Agave Striata Var Striata.” Plant Delights Nursery, 2024, www.plantdelights.com/products/agave-striata-var-striata#:~:text=striata%20is%20also%20one%20of,with%20only%20a%20terminal%20spine. Accessed 27 May 2024.
“Fig. 1. Partial Cladogram (Reproduced from Pires et Al., 2006 ) Of...” ResearchGate, ResearchGate, 2016, www.researchgate.net/figure/Partial-cladogram-reproduced-from-Pires-et-al-2006-of-Asparagales-relationships_fig5_221792570. Accessed 28 May 2024.
Know. “Botanica Curiosa.” Botanica Curiosa, 12 July 2020, www.botanicacuriosa.com/blog/know-your-agaves. Accessed 28 May 2024.