Agave young flower stalk. Agave nectar (also called agave syrup), a sweetener derived from the sap, is used as an alternative to sugar in cooking, and can be added to breakfast cereals as a binding agent. The sap of "A. americana" and other species is used in Mexico and Mesoamerica to produce "pulque", an alcoholic beverage. The flower shoot is cut out and the sap collected and subsequently fermented. By distillation, a spirit called "mezcal" is prepared; one of the best-known forms of mezcal is tequila. When dried and cut in slices, the flowering stem forms natural razor strops, and the
Agave mitis (2.4 inches) long. Agave mitis Agave mitis is a plant species native to the Mexican states of Hidalgo, Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosí, referred to as "Agave celsii" in many publications. "Agave mitis" forms rosettes of blue-green to yellow-green, fleshy leaves up to 60 cm (2 feet) long. The leaves have soft brown spines not nearly as imposing as those of other agaves. The flowering stalk is up to 2.5 m (8 feet)tall, with the flowers closely appressed against the stem forming a narrow column much more compact than most other species of the genus. Flowers are green, each up