Agave palmeri
| Agave palmeri | |
|---|---|
| |
| Agave palmeri at Desert Demonstration Garden in Las Vegas | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asparagaceae |
| Subfamily: | Agavoideae |
| Genus: | Agave |
| Species: | A. palmeri
|
| Binomial name | |
| Agave palmeri | |
Agave palmeri (also known as Palmer's century plant) is an especially large member of the genus Agave, in the family Asparagaceae.
Description[edit]
Agave palmeri is the largest Agave species growing in the United States. It produces a basal leaf rosette of fleshy, upright green leaves of up to 120 centimetres (4 feet) in length, with jagged edges and ending in sharp, thick spines of 3–6 cm (1+1⁄4–2+1⁄4 inches) long. The buds are purplish. Blooming from June to August,[2] the flowers are pale yellow and green; they are 4–5 cm (1+1⁄2–2 in) long with six segments and stamens,[2] growing on branches from the upper third of the flower spike, which can be up to 5 metres (16 ft) tall.[3][4][5]
Distribution and habitat[edit]
The plant is native to southern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, Sonora and Chihuahua.[6][3][7] It can be found in dry, rocky areas.[2]
Cultivation[edit]
The plant is frequently cultivated as an ornamental in other regions.[8] It requires a large pot but is very tolerant of a wide range of conditions, including temperatures of around −10 °C.[9]
Uses[edit]
The plant was used by Native Americans for food, drink, fiber, soap, medicine and to make lances.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ Salywon, A. (2019). "Agave palmeri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T115689468A116354258. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T115689468A116354258.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d Spellenberg, Richard (2001) [1979]. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region (rev ed.). Knopf. pp. 325–326. ISBN 978-0-375-40233-3.
- ^ a b Gentry, Howard Scott. Agaves of Continental North America. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 1992.
- ^ Flora of North America, Agave palmeri, v 26 p 460.
- ^ Shreve, F. & I. L. Wiggins. 1964. Vegetation and Flora of the Sonoran Desert 2 vols. Stanford University Press, Stanford.
- ^ Engelmann, Georg. Transactions of the Academy of Science of St. Louis 3: 319–320. 1875.
- ^ Conabio (2009). Catálogo taxonómico de especies de México. 1. In Capital Nat. México. Conabio, Mexico D.F.
- ^ Bailey, L.H. & E.Z. Bailey. 1976. Hortus Third i–xiv, 1–1290. MacMillan, New York.
- ^ Complete Encyclopedia of Succulents by Zdenek Jezek and Libor Kunte
External links[edit]
Media related to Agave palmeri at Wikimedia Commons
