Agave americana pita, which are suitable for making rope, matting, or coarse cloth. They are also used for embroidery of leather in a technique known as "piteado". Both pulque and maguey fiber were important to the economy of pre-Columbian Mexico, where the fermented drink was known as "octli". In the tequila-producing regions of Mexico, agaves are called" mezcales". The high-alcohol product of fermented agave distillation is called "mezcal"; "A. americana" is one of several agaves used for distillation. A mezcal called "tequila" is produced from "Agave tequilana", commonly called "blue agave". The many different types of mezcal include some which may be
Agave lechuguilla are funnel shaped in purples, reds and yellows. The plant dies after flowering. Charles Wright first collected the plant in 1849 and it was described by John Torrey in 1859. Agave lechuguilla Agave lechuguilla (common name in Chihuahua: "lechuguilla", meaning "big lettuce") is an "Agave" species found only in the Chihuahuan Desert, where it is an indicator species. It typically grows on calcareous soils. The plant flowers once in its life, then it dies. The flowers are a source of nutrients for insects, bats, and some birds. The leaves are long, tough, and rigid, with very sharp, hard points which