Jalisco the blue agave plant. It is the most famous type of mezcal produced in Mexico, and the only mezcal which is produced industrially with strict standards. The tequila industry supports large scale cultivation of the blue agave, with about 200,000 people employed through it directly or indirectly. It is named after a small town northwest of the city of Guadalajara in the center of where it is produced and the native region of the blue agave. The plant was used in pre-Hispanic times to make a ceremonial drink. The Spanish used the sweet heart of the mature plant, called a
Agave eggersiana interested parties (concerned government agencies, the scientific community and/or industry) submit data or suggestions concerning this species (USFWS 1998b). The plant is being cultivated at the St. George Village Botanical Garden in St. Croix U.S.V.I.(USFWS 1998a) and at Fairchild Botanical Gardens in south Florida. "Agave eggersiana" has flowering stalks up to 7 m (23 feet) in height and has large, yellow tubular flowers that produce flattened black seeds (USFWS 1998a). Agave eggersiana Agave eggersiana, Eggers' century plant, is an endangered species of spiky plant which grows in the Virgin Islands, in dry, exposed areas. "Agave eggersiana" is a perennial herb