Henequen

Henequen

Taxobox
name = Henequen


image_width = 250px
regnum = Plantae
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 a fiber also called henequen which is suitable for rope and twine, but not of as high a quality as sisal. Alternative spellings are Henequin and Heniquen. It is the major plantation fiber agave of eastern Mexico, being grown extensively in Yucatán, Veracruz, and southern Tamaulipas.

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. 573-576

External links

* [http://www.yucatantoday.com/culture/eng-haciendas.htm Henequen-growing Haciendas in the Yucatan]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • henequen — [hen′i ken΄, hen΄i ken′] n. [Sp henequén, jeniquén < native (Taino) name in YUCATÁN] 1. a tropical American agave (Agave fourcroydes) cultivated for the hard fiber of the leaves 2. the fiber, similar to sisal, used for making rope, twine, rugs …   English World dictionary

  • Henequen — (Hennequin), s. Agave und Agavefaser …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Henequen — Henequen, die Faser der Agave (s.d.) …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • *henequen — ● henequen nom masculin Nom mexicain du sisal …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • henequén — sustantivo masculino 1. Variedad de pita, planta …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • henequén — (Quizá de or. maya). m. Planta amarilidácea, especie de pita1 …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • henequen — /hen euh kin/, n. the fiber of an agave, Agave fourcroydes, of Yucatán, used for making ropes, coarse fabrics, etc. Also, henequin. [1875 80; < AmerSp henequén, earlier geniquén, jeniquén, heniquén, perh. < an indigenous language of Hispaniola,… …   Universalium

  • Henequén — ► sustantivo masculino México BOTÁNICA Planta amarilidácea de hojas largas, estrechas y rígidas con espinas pequeñas en los bordes, de la que se extrae una fibra con la que se fabrican cuerdas y esteras. (Agave fourcroydes.) * * * henequén (¿de… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • henequen — jukataninė agava statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Agavinių šeimos pluoštinis augalas (Agave fourcroydes), paplitęs Meksikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Agave fourcroydes angl. henequen agave; Yucatan hemp; Yucatan sisal; Mexican sisal; white… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • henequen — noun Etymology: Spanish henequén Date: 1880 a strong yellowish or reddish hard fiber obtained from the leaves of a tropical American agave (Agave fourcroydes) found chiefly in Yucatán and used especially in making twine and rope; also a plant… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”