Scientific details

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Agave americana

 COMMON NAME(S): Century plant, Sisal
SYNONYM(S):
FAMILY: AGAVACEAE - Sisal family
ORIGIN: North, Central and South America, West Indies
HABITAT: Dry woods, deserts, cultivated landscapes
RANGE: Texas, Arizona and California; widely cultivated in warm areas
TYPE: Succulent perennials
HEIGHT: 3-8' (flower stem may be 15' or more tall)
CHARACTERISTICS: Trunk short and thick or absent
LEAVES: Succulent, grouped in a basal rosette, simple; broadly strap-shaped, long, often toothed at margin and spine-tipped
FLOWERS: Yellow, numerous, borne on a long, straight flower stalk that rises above the leaves; a number of species produce young plants on the flower stalk
FLOWERING SEASON: Summer
FRUITS: Woody capsule with black seeds

ALLERGENIC COMPONENTS: Juice
ALLERGENIC PRINCIPLES: Unknown
ALLERGENIC PROPERTIES: Dermatological, respiratory, eye irritant
COMMENTS: The sap of these stately succulent plants can cause eye and skin irritation. Dust of the sisal fiber (A. sisalana Perr.) has reportedly caused respiratory distress. Scores of other species of this and the related Furcraea are grown in warm areas.

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Information contained in the pages of Allergenica.com was compiled from a variety of references, however plants growing under different environmental conditions often vary considerably in some characteristics and behavior, and there is no guarantee that a given plant will always conform to the description provided nor will always affect the body's sensitivity to allergens in ways described here. Allergenica.com and Betrock Information Systems assume neither responsibility nor liability for the information presented in these pages.
For additional information and professional advice, please consult a specialist in allergy and immunology - Copyrigt © - 2000-2005