Agave bovicornuta
Gentry
Asparagaceae
The genus Agave is treated here in a wide sense to include taxa previously treated as belonging to the genera Manfreda, Prochnyanthes, Polianthes and Pseudobravoa. Not all botanists are happy with this treatment, with some feeling that these genera should remain distinct, at least until further studies have been carried out. In addition, given the high species diversity found in Agave, some feel that an alternative approach could be the recognition of several smaller genera within the current circumscription of Agave[
1855- Title
- Two new species of Manfreda Salisb. (Agavaceae) from the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico
- Publication
- Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 135(2), 2008, pp. 168-177
- Author
- Hernández-Sandoval L., Orellana R. & Carnevali G.
- Website
- http://dx.doi.org/10.3159/08-RA-023.1
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2008
- ISBN
-
- Description
-
].
Common Name: Cow's Horn Agave
General Information
Agave bovicornuta is an evergreen, stemless, succulent plant forming a rosette of leaves that can be 80 - 100cm tall and 150 - 200cm in diameter. The more or less spoon-shaped leaves on mature plants can each be 60 - 100cm long and 14 - 20cm wide in the middle. After several years of growth, a flowering stem that can be around 5 - 7 metres tall is produced, after which the rosette will die[
1842- Title
- The Agave Family in Sonora; Agriculture Handbook No. 399
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gentry H.S.
- Publisher
- Agicultural Research Service, USDA; Washington D.C.
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Gives quite a lot of information on the traditional uses of the plants.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and to make the distilled beverage 'mezcal'. An attractive plant, it is commonly grown as an ornamental[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
,
1842- Title
- The Agave Family in Sonora; Agriculture Handbook No. 399
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gentry H.S.
- Publisher
- Agicultural Research Service, USDA; Washington D.C.
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Gives quite a lot of information on the traditional uses of the plants.
].
Agave bovicornuta has a relatively wide range but small and isolated subpopulations, its biology makes it particularly vulnerable since it only reproduces by seed and it dies after reproduction. It is suspected that the collection of plants and seeds for horticulture and the heavy harvest of flowers for human consumption has and will continue to cause declines in the population. The plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2019)[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Known Hazards
The juice of the plant is caustic and produces a temporary dermatitis on tender skin, with a burning sensation, inñammation, and white welts or blisters. Some people are more susceptible than others. Washing with soap only increases the burning. It is better to wipe dry or wash with clear water only[
1842- Title
- The Agave Family in Sonora; Agriculture Handbook No. 399
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gentry H.S.
- Publisher
- Agicultural Research Service, USDA; Washington D.C.
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Gives quite a lot of information on the traditional uses of the plants.
].
Many Agave species have strong, sharp spines on the leaves and leaf tips.
In theory at least, the flowers, nectar, immature flowering stem and the centre of the rosette of all Agave species is edible and, with proper preparation, can provide a sweet, tasty foodstuff. Some species, however, contain relatively high levels of saponins (which makes them taste bitter) and some other compounds which can cause bellyache, and so these would only be eaten in times of desperation. In addition, many people may find these foods to be strongly laxative the first few times they eat them[
1846- Title
- The Agaves of Baja California
- Publication
- Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Sciences, No. 130,
- Author
- Gentry H.S.
- Publisher
- California Academy of Sciences; San Francisco
- Year
- 1978
- ISBN
- 0068-5461
- Description
-
].
The Western Tarahumara use Agave vilmoriniana, which is rich in sapogenins, and Agave bovicornuta and Agave wocomahi, the toxic constituents of which are unknown, to stupefy fish trapped in rock enclosures or pools in rivers. The plants are mashed on a rock, the juices are allowed to drain into the river and then the mashed plants are thrown into the water. Several plants are needed to stupefy the trapped fish which, upon reaching the surface, are collected[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
]
Botanical References
1842- Title
- The Agave Family in Sonora; Agriculture Handbook No. 399
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gentry H.S.
- Publisher
- Agicultural Research Service, USDA; Washington D.C.
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Gives quite a lot of information on the traditional uses of the plants.
Range
Southwestern N. America - northern Mexico (Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Sonora)
Habitat
Scattered in the areas between canyons, growing on open, rocky slopes associated with oaks (Quercus spp.); also in pine-oak forests and tropical dry forests; at elevations from 930 - 1,850 metres[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
,
1842- Title
- The Agave Family in Sonora; Agriculture Handbook No. 399
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gentry H.S.
- Publisher
- Agicultural Research Service, USDA; Washington D.C.
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Gives quite a lot of information on the traditional uses of the plants.
].
Properties
Conservation Status | Vulnerable |
Edibility Rating |      |
Habit | Evergreen Perennial |
Height | 1.00 m |
Self-fertile | No |
Cultivation Status | Ornamental, Wild |
Cultivation Details
Agave bovicornuta is found in semi-arid regions in the warm temperate zone, extending south in Mexico into the tropical dry forests[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
]
Agave species generally require a sunny position, succeeding in most soils of medium-fertility so long as they are very well-drained. Most species are undemanding as to the soil pH, though those found in the wild on limestone soils will grow better in neutral to alkaline conditions. Plants are generally very tolerant of dry conditions and of extended periods of drought[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Most Agave species are monocarpic, individual rosettes living for a number of years without flowering before sending up an often very large flowering stem and then dying after flowering and setting seed.
This species does not produce shoots or bulbils and apparently it also requires cross pollination, thus when cultivated in gardens the plant dies in one generation when it reaches between 12 - 18 years old and flowers[
1842- Title
- The Agave Family in Sonora; Agriculture Handbook No. 399
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gentry H.S.
- Publisher
- Agicultural Research Service, USDA; Washington D.C.
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Gives quite a lot of information on the traditional uses of the plants.
]. Some plants in gardens have been observed to live up to 30 years[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Individual plants take about 7 - 15 years in their native habitat, considerably longer in colder climates, before flowering[
11- Title
- Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Bean. W.
- Publisher
- Murray
- Year
- 1981
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[
233- Title
- Perennial Garden Plants
- Publication
-
- Author
- Thomas. G. S.
- Publisher
- J. M. Dent & Sons, London.
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0 460 86048 8
- Description
- A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
].
Edible Uses
The flowers are washed to remove the bitterness and are eaten cooked[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
]. They are also used to make tortillas - this species being preferred over others to make this food[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
The heart of the rosette, after the leaves have been removed, is baked and used to prepare strong 'suguí' a fermented alcoholic beverage[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
The heart is occasionally used to make the distilled liquor mezcal[
1845- Title
- Population Dynamics and Sustainable Management of Mescal Agaves in Central Mexico: Agave potatorum in the Tehuacán-C
- Publication
- Econ. Bot. 69(1): 26-41, 2015
- Author
- Toees I. et al
- Website
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-014-9295-2.
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2015
- ISBN
-
- Description
-
], though it is considered to be inferior to many other species[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
,
1841- Title
- The Warihio Indians of Sonora-Chihuahua; An Ethnographic Survey (Anthropological Papers, No. 65)
- Publication
- Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 186 pp 61-144
- Author
- Gentry H.S.
- Publisher
- Smithsonian Institution
- Year
- 1963
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent study
].
This species is not generally used to produce mescal because it has a caustic juice and a bitter taste[
1842- Title
- The Agave Family in Sonora; Agriculture Handbook No. 399
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gentry H.S.
- Publisher
- Agicultural Research Service, USDA; Washington D.C.
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Gives quite a lot of information on the traditional uses of the plants.
].
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - surface sow in a container in a light position. The fertile black seeds germinate readily and can easily be cultured in flats or pots during early stages[
1842- Title
- The Agave Family in Sonora; Agriculture Handbook No. 399
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gentry H.S.
- Publisher
- Agicultural Research Service, USDA; Washington D.C.
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Gives quite a lot of information on the traditional uses of the plants.
]. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 15 - 20°c[
133- Title
- Growing from Seed. Volume 1.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Rice. G. (Editor)
- Publisher
- Thompson and Morgan.
- Year
- 1987
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
,
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots of well-drained soil when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a sunny position until they are at least 10cm tall before planting out.
Offsets and suckers can be potted up at any time they are available.
Bulbils, where produced, are an easy method of propagation. Simply pot them up and plant out at the beginning of a growing season when they are 10cm or more tall.