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 parryi size, plus its low water use and low maintenance, Huachuca agave is considered a good landscaping plant for desert residential landscaping. It requires full sun. It is hardy to roughly , though there are reports of specimens surviving temperatures at . Parry's agave is evergreen. Aged agave produce a twelve-foot stalk with bright yellow blooms. They then die after blooming, as all leaf and root resources are put into the stalk, flowers, and seeds. It can be propagated by either offset or seed. This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. Agave parryi Agave parryi, known