Definitions for: Agave

[n] tropical American plants with basal rosettes of fibrous sword-shaped leaves and flowers in tall spikes; some cultivated for ornament or for fiber

Webster (1913) Definition: A*ga"ve, n. [L. Agave, prop. name, fr. Gr. ?, fem. of ?
illustrious, noble.] (bot.)
A genus of plants (order Amaryllidace[ae]) of which the
chief species is the maguey or century plant ({A.
Americana}), wrongly called Aloe. It is from ten to seventy
years, according to climate, in attaining maturity, when it
produces a gigantic flower stem, sometimes forty feet in
height, and perishes. The fermented juice is the pulque of
the Mexicans; distilled, it yields mescal. A strong thread
and a tough paper are made from the leaves, and the wood has
many uses.

Synonyms: American aloe, century plant

See Also: Agavaceae, Agave americana, Agave atrovirens, Agave cantala, agave family, Agave sisalana, Agave tequilana, American agave, bear grass, bowstring hemp, cantala, desert plant, dracaena, family Agavaceae, maguey, Nolina microcarpa, sansevieria, sisal, sisal family, xerophile, xerophilous plant, xerophyte, xerophytic plant

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