Agave americana flavored with the very pungent mezcal worm. "Mezcal" and "tequila", although also produced from agave plants, are different from "pulque" in their technique for extracting the sugars from the heart of the plant, and in that they are distilled spirits. In "mezcal" and "tequila" production, the sugars are extracted from the "piñas" (or hearts) by heating them in ovens, rather than by collecting "aguamiel" from the plant's cut stalk. Thus, if one were to distill "pulque", it would not be a form of "mezcal", but rather a different drink. Agave nectar is marketed as a natural form of sugar with
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