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 decipiens Agave decipiens Agave decipiens, common names False Sisal or Florida agave, is a plant species endemic to coastal Florida though cultivated as an ornamental in other regions. The species is reported naturalized in Spain, India, Pakistan, and South Africa. Some authors have suggested that material from Central America and from the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico might be of the same species as "A. decipiens." Gentry and Zona, however, discounted this possibility, regarding this non-Floridian material as "A. vivipara" (= "A. angustifolia") "Agave decipiens" grows on hummocks in the Everglades and other marshy areas very close to sea level. It is