Agave cupreata

Agave cupreata Trel. & Berger (Agavaceae), is found only on mountain slopes of the Rio Balsas basin in the Mexican states of Michoacan and Guerrero at elevations of 1,200-1,800 meters ^[1]. A. cupreata is a long-lived plant with mature leaves reaching between 40–80 cm in length and a flowering stalk of 4–7 m^[1]. The age of maturity for A. cupreata is variable, but generally occurs at any time from 5–15 years ^[2]. A monocarpic perennial which does not reproduce clonally, A. cupreata allocates its accumulated resources toward the production of a single inflorescence and dies following the production of seeds^[3].

Communities in the mountains of Guerrero harvest and make mescal out of Agave cupreata, known locally as maguey papalote^[2].

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Gentry, H.S., 1982. Agaves of Continental North America. The University of Arizona press, Tucson, Arizona.
2. ^ ^{a b} Illsley, C., Tlacotempa, A., Rivera, G., Morales, P., Garcia, J., Casarrubias, L., Calzada, M., Calzada, R., Carranca, C., Flores, J., Omar, E., 2005. Maguey papalote: para todo mal, mezcal; para todo bien, tambien. In: Lopez, C., Chanfon, S., Segura, G. (Eds.), La riqueza de los bosques mexicanos: mas alla de la madera. SEMARNAT, Mexico.
3. ^ Nobel, P.S., 1988. Environmental Biology of Agaves and Cacti. Cambridge University Press, New York.