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Agave fourcroydes - Lem.

Common Name Henequen
Family Asparagaceae
USDA hardiness 10-12
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Not known
Range C. America - Guatemala to southern Mexico.
Edibility Rating    (0 of 5)
Other Uses    (3 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (1 of 5)
Care (info)
Tender Well drained soil Moist Soil Full sun
Agave fourcroydes Henequen


https://edibleplants.org/
Agave fourcroydes Henequen
https://edibleplants.org/

 

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Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Agave fourcroydes is an evergreen Perennial growing to 1.8 m (6ft) by 1.8 m (6ft) at a medium rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Agave rigida elongata Baker Agave sullivanii Trel.

Plant Habitats

Edible Uses

None known

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


The plant is used for medicinal purposes[317 ].

References   More on Medicinal Uses

The Bookshop: Edible Plant Books

Our Latest books on Perennial Plants For Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens in paperback or digital formats.

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Other Uses

Agroforestry Uses: The plants are cultivated as hedges and living fences in Cuba[317 ]. Other Uses A fibre is obtained from the leaves[317 ]. Coarser than the fibres from sisal (Agave sisalana), they are used for the production of ropes, nets, floor-covering and harvest binding strings[317 ]. The roots contain saponins and can be used as a soap substitute[331 ].

Special Uses

Carbon Farming

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Agroforestry Services: Living fence  Industrial Crop: Fiber  Management: Standard  Minor Global Crop

A plant of the drier tropics. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 15 - 30c, but can tolerate 10 - 40c[418 ]. It can be damaged by temperatures of -5c or lower[418 ]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 900 - 1,250mm, but tolerates 700 - 2,500mm[418 ]. Requires a sunny position in a well-drained soil. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 7.5, tolerating 6 - 8[418 ]. It require 4 - 6 years to first harvest, and the leaves can subsequently be harvested twice a year[418 ]. A monocarpic species - the plant lives for a number of years without flowering but dies once it does flower. However, it normally produces plenty of suckers during its life and these continue growing, taking about 10 - 15 years in a warm climate, considerably longer in colder ones, before flowering[11 ]. In Mexico the plant has a life cycle of 15 - 30 years[418 ]. This species is a sterile hybrid taxon[317 ].

Carbon Farming

  • Agroforestry Services: Living fence  Simply managed rows of shrubs and trees.
  • Industrial Crop: Fiber  Clothing, rugs, sheets, blankets etc. Currently, almost none of our fiber are produced from perennial crops but could be!
  • Management: Standard  Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
  • Minor Global Crop  These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

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The PFAF Bookshop

Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

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Plant Propagation

One source suggests Agave fourcroydes is like sisal, a sterile hybrid; the ovaries never produce seeds. The plant does produce bulbils that may be planted, but commercial growers prefer to use the frequent suckers, which develop more quickly.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

NORTHERN AMERICA: Mexico (Yucatán)

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Agave americanaAgave, American century plantPerennial7.5 8-11 SLMNDM333
Agave cantala agaveAgavePerennial2.0 9-12 FLMHNDM204
Agave chrysanthaGolden-flowered AgavePerennial1.0 9-11 MLMHNDM212
Agave desertiDesert AgavePerennial0.4 9-11 MLMHNDM303
Agave lechuguillaIxtle, ChihuahuaPerennial0.6 10-12 MLMHNDM124
Agave murpheyiHohokam Agave, Murphey agavePerennial1.0 8-12 SLMHNDM204
Agave palmeriPalmer’s agavePerennial1.0 7-11 MLMHNDM302
Agave parryiCentury Plant, Parry's agave, MescalPerennial0.5 9-11 SLMNDM312
Agave salmianaPulque Agave, Giant AgavePerennial2.0 9-11 MLMHNDM302
Agave sisalanaSisalPerennial2.0 9-11 FLMHSNDM224
Agave tequilanaBlue Agave, Mescal, Tequila.Perennial2.0 10-12 MLMHND403
Agave utahensisCentury PlantPerennial2.0 6-10 MLMNDM222
Agave utahensis discretaCentury PlantPerennial4.0 8-11  LMNDM312
Agave utahensis eborispinaCentury PlantPerennial4.0 8-11  LMNDM312
Agave viviparaMescal CaseroPerennial1.0 10-12 MLMHNDM303

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

Lem.

Botanical References

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.

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Subject : Agave fourcroydes  
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