- Henequen
Taxobox
name = Henequen
image_width = 250px
regnum =Plant ae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis =Liliopsida
ordo =Asparagales
familia =Agavaceae
genus = "Agave "
species = "A. fourcroydes"
binomial = "Agave fourcroydes"
binomial_authority =Lem. Henequen ("Agave fourcroydes" Lem.) is an
agave whose leaves yield afiber also called henequen which is suitable forrope andtwine , but not of as high a quality assisal . Alternative spellings are Henequin and Heniquen. It is the major plantation fiber agave of easternMexico , being grown extensively inYucatán ,Veracruz , and southernTamaulipas .The plant appears as a rosette of sword-shaped leaves 1.2 to 1.8 meters long, growing out of a thick stem that may reach 1.7 meters (5 ft). The leaves have regularly-spaced teeth 3-6 mm long, and a terminal spine 2-3 cm long.
Like the sisal, "A. fourcroydes" is a sterile hybrid; the ovaries never produce seeds. The plant does produce bulbils that may be planted, but commercial growers prefer to use the frequent suckers, which develop more quickly.
References
*
Howard Scott Gentry , "Agaves of Continental North America" (University of Arizona Press, 1982) pp. 573-576External links
* [http://www.yucatantoday.com/culture/eng-haciendas.htm Henequen-growing Haciendas in the Yucatan]
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