The Desert Botanical Garden displays 197 taxa in the genus Agave, including a strong representation of Arizona Agaves.

Click here to see a list of Agaves in the Desert Botanical Garden.
The genus Agave occurs natively in arid and tropical regions from the southern USA to northern South America, and throughout the Caribbean. More than 200 species are recognized.

The name agave is derived from the Greek and means "noble," referring to their tall flower stalk. Some agave species have stalks reaching 40 feet. Agaves have many common and native local names including maguey, mescal, lechuguilla, amole and Century Plant.

Agaves are rosette plants that live for several to many years before flowering. Each rosette will flower only once, then die. The English common name, Century Plant, is based on the mistaken belief that the plants grow for 100 years before blooming. In fact, some of the smaller species flower when only 3 to 4 years old. The larger species may live for 40 to 50 years before flowering.

Several species are of global economic importance. Agave sisalana, the source of sisal fiber, is cultivated in plantations in Africa and Asia. Other species are grown world-wide as ornamentals. In Mexico and Central America, Agave fourcroydes and A. sisalana are widely cultivated for fiber. The most important economic use of agaves is production of mescal and tequila.  These products are worth millions of dollars to the Mexican economy. In Mexico, thousands of hectares are devoted to plantations of Agave tequilana, the source of tequila.

For more information, contact:

Raul Puente-Martinez,
Curator of Collections
480-481-8110 or email
rpuente@dbg.org