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Taxon:  Agave americana L.



Summary
Genus:
Agave
Family:
Asparagaceae
Subfamily:
Agavoideae
Nomen number:
1690
Place of publication:
Sp. pl. 1:323. 1753
Verified:
02/26/2012 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
0 (0  active, 0  available) in Australian Pastures Genebank. 
Other conspecific taxa
Agave americana L. subsp. americana (0 active accession[s])
Agave americana L. subsp. americana var. americana (0 active accession[s])
Agave americana L. subsp. americana var. expansa (Jacobi) Gentry (0 active accession[s])
Agave americana L. subsp. americana var. picta (Salm-Dyck) A. Terracc. (0 active accession[s])
Agave americana L. subsp. protamericana Gentry (0 active accession[s])
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Agave rasconensis Trel. ex Standl.
Agave zonata Trel.
No images


Reference(s)
  1. Aldén, B., S. Ryman & M. Hjertson. Våra kulturväxters namn - ursprung och användning. Formas, Stockholm (Handbook on Swedish cultivated and utility plants, their names and origin). 2009
  2. Allan, H. H. B. et al. Flora of New Zealand. 1961-
  3. Davidse, G. et al., eds. Flora mesoamericana. 1994
  4. Davis, P. H., ed. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands. 1965-1988
  5. Erhardt, W. et al. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen. 2008
  6. Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
  7. FNA Editorial Committee. Flora of North America. 1993-
  8. Gentry, H. S. 1972. The agave family in Sonora. U.S.D.A. Agric. Handb. 399:80-84.
  9. Gentry, H. S. 1982. Agaves of continental North America. 1982 270-290.
  10. George, A. S., ed. Flora of Australia. 1980-
  11. Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14. 2003
  12. Grellin, J. K. & J. Philpott. A reference guide to medicinal plants. 1990
  13. Hanelt, P., ed. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6. 2001
  14. Hansen, A. & P. Sunding. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants, ed. 4. Sommerfeltia vol. 17. 1993
  15. Henderson, L. Alien weeds and invasive plants: a complete guide to declared weeds and invaders in South Africa. Plant Protection Research Institute, Handbook 12. 2001
  16. Hnatiuk, R. J. Census of Australian vascular plants. Australian Flora and Fauna Series No. 11. 1990
  17. Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
  18. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares. 2008
  19. Kamalesh, T. et al. 1994. Agave americana - potentials ahead. MFP News 4:14-16.
  20. Kellerman, T. S. et al. Plant poisonings and mycotoxicoses of livestock in Southern Africa. 1988
  21. Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. Hortus third. 1976
  22. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000
  23. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000
  24. Moerman, D. Native American ethnobotany, ed. 5. 1998
  25. Quézel, P. & S. Santa. Nouvelle flore de l'Algerie. 1962-1963
  26. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. Flora europaea. 1964-1980
  27. Vázquez-García et al. 2004. Flora del norte de Jalisco y etnobotánica Huichola. Serie Fronteras de Biodivesidad. 2004- 1:57.
  28. Valdés, B. et al., eds. Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du nord du Maroc, incluant des clés d'identification. 2002
  29. Van Wyk, B.-E. & M. Wink. Medicinal plants of the world. 2004
  30. Weber, E. Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds. 2003
  31. Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. World economic plants: a standard reference (on-line edition) [medicinal plants only].
  32. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. Flora of China (English edition). 1994-
Common names
English
American agave –
American-aloe –
century-plant –
Afrikaans
garingboom –
German
hundert-jährige Agave –
Spanish
maguey –
Swedish
agave –
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNote
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorthern MexicoMexicoCoahuila 
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorthern MexicoMexicoNuevo Leon 
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorthern MexicoMexicoSan Luis Potosi 
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorthern MexicoMexicoSonora 
1NativeNorthern AmericaNorthern MexicoMexicoTamaulipas 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouth-Central U.S.A.United StatesTexas 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoJalisco 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoQueretaro 
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoVeracruz 
2Cultivated     
4NaturalizedAfricaMacaronesiaPortugalAzores 
4NaturalizedAfricaMacaronesiaPortugalMadeira Islands 
4NaturalizedAfricaMacaronesiaSpainCanary Islands 
4NaturalizedAfricaNorthern AfricaAlgeria  
4NaturalizedAfricaNorthern AfricaMorocco  
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaBotswana  
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaLesotho  
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth Africa  
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSwaziland  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateChinaChina  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaTurkey  
4NaturalizedAustralasiaAustraliaAustraliaNew South Wales 
4NaturalizedAustralasiaAustraliaAustraliaQueensland 
4NaturalizedAustralasiaNew ZealandNew Zealand  
4NaturalizedEuropeSoutheastern EuropeAlbania  
4NaturalizedEuropeSoutheastern EuropeCroatia  
4NaturalizedEuropeSoutheastern EuropeGreece  
4NaturalizedEuropeSoutheastern EuropeItaly  
4NaturalizedEuropeSouthwestern EuropeFrance  
4NaturalizedEuropeSouthwestern EuropePortugal  
4NaturalizedEuropeSouthwestern EuropeSpain  
4NaturalizedPacificNorthwestern PacificPalau  
4NaturalizedPacificSouthwestern PacificNew Caledonia  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentinaCordoba 
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentinaLa Pampa 
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaChileJuan Fernandez 
Native
Northern America
  • NORTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, Sonora, Tamaulipas]
  • SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Texas]
  • SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Jalisco, Queretaro, Veracruz]
Cultivated ()
Naturalized
Africa
  • MACARONESIA: Spain [Canary Islands], Portugal [Azores, Madeira Islands]
  • NORTHERN AFRICA: Algeria, Morocco
  • SOUTHERN AFRICA: Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa
Asia-Temperate
  • CHINA: China
  • WESTERN ASIA: Turkey
Australasia
  • AUSTRALIA: Australia [New South Wales, Queensland]
  • NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand
Europe
  • SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Albania, Greece, Croatia, Italy
  • SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Spain, France, Portugal
Pacific
  • NORTHWESTERN PACIFIC: Palau
  • SOUTHWESTERN PACIFIC: New Caledonia
Southern America
  • SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina [Cordoba, La Pampa], Chile [Juan Fernandez]
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Environmentalornamental Weber, E. Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds. 2003
Medicinesfolklore McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000
Vertebrate poisonsmammals Kellerman, T. S. et al. Plant poisonings and mycotoxicoses of livestock in Southern Africa. 1988
Weed  Weber, E. Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds. 2003
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2025. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://apg.pir.sa.gov.au/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=1690. Accessed 15 August 2025.


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