Agave bovicornuta
Agave bovicornuta Gentry,[2][3] is a plant in the genus Agave, native to mountainous regions in the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Sonora and Sinaloa. The common name Cowhorn Agave and the specific epithet refer to the prominent red spines along the edges of the leaves. Other common names include "lechguilla verde"
Cowhorn Agave | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Asparagales |
Family: | Asparagaceae |
Subfamily: | Agavoideae |
Genus: | Agave |
Species: | A. bovicornuta |
Binomial name | |
Agave bovicornuta H. S. Gentry | |
The plant forms a solitary rosette with no suckers. Yellowish-green flowers are borne on a stalk up to 150 cm tall. The Tarahumara peoples who live in the region where the plant is found sometimes eat the leaves although they consider it inferior to other species.[4]
It is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Although it encompasses a wide range, its populations are small and isolated, and vulnerable to overcollection and consumption as food.[1]
Gallery
- Cowhorn Agave plant in a pot [5]
- The same plant viewed from above
- Agave bovicornuta in the San Francisco Botanical Garden
References
- González-Elizondo, M.; Puente, R.; Hernández Sandoval, L.; Zamudio, S.; Hernández-Martínez, M.; Sánchez, E.; Matías-Palafox, M. (2019). "Agave bovicornuta". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T114937023A114963416. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T114937023A114963416.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- H.S. Gentry, Publications of the Carnegie Institute of Washington 527: (Rio Mayo Plants) 92, tab. 15, fig. 1. 942.
- "Agave bovicornuta". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
- C. Pennington. 1963. The Tarahumar of Mexico: their material culture. University of Utah Press.
- Cowhorn Agave Planting Pot Size. SimplifyPlants. Retrieved 23 May 2020.