Taxon: Agave angustifolia Haw.

Summary

Genus:

Agave

Family:

Asparagaceae

Subfamily:

Agavoideae

Nomen number:

1692

Place of publication:

Syn. pl. succ. 72. 1812

Verified:

02/26/2012 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

7 (0 active, 0 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Agave angustifolia Haw. var. angustifolia (0 active accession[s])
Agave angustifolia Haw. var. deweyana (Trel.) Gentry (0 active accession[s])
Agave angustifolia Haw. var. letonae (F. W. Taylor ex Trel.) Gentry (0 active accession[s])
Agave angustifolia Haw. var. nivea (Trel.) Gentry (0 active accession[s])

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Agave elongata Jacobi
Agave lespinassei Trel.
Agave wightii J. R. Drumm. & Prain
Agave wrightii J. R. Drumm.
Agave yaquiana Trel.
Agave zapupe Trel.

Invalid Designation(s)
Agave vivipara auct. nonn.

Images (1 total. Click on image for more.)

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Bosser, J. M. et al., eds. 1976-. Flores des Mascareignes.
Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
Encke, F. et al. 1984. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage
Facciola, S. 1998. Cornucopia II: a source book of edible plants Note: Kampong Publications
Forster, P. I. 1992. New varietal combinations in Agave vivipara (Agavaceae). Brittonia 44:74-75. Note: = Agave vivipara var. vivipara
García-Mendoza, A. & F. Chiang. 2003. The confusion of Agave vivipara L. and A. angustifolia Haw., two distinct taxa. Brittonia 55:82-87.
Gentry, H. S. 1972. The agave family in Sonora. U.S.D.A. Agric. Handb. 399:143, 147. Note: mentions
Gentry, H. S. 1982. Agaves of continental North America
George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia. Note: = Agave vivipara L.
Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
Sánchez-Teyer, F. et al. 2009. Genetic variability of wild Agave angustifolia populations based on AFLP: A basic study for conservation. J. Arid Environm. 73:611-616.
Smith, G. F. & E. M. A. Steyn. 1999. Agave vivipara: the correct name for Agave angustifolia. Bothalia 29:100. Note: = Agave vivipara L.
Steyn, E. M. A. & G. F. Smith. 2000. Agave vivipara: a naturalized alien in Southern Africa. Bothalia 30:43-55. Note: = Agave vivipara L.
Vargas-Ponce, O. et al. 2009. Diversity and structure of landraces of Agave grown by spirits under traditional agricultural: A comparison with wild populations of A. angustifolia (Agavaceae) and commercial plantations of A. tequilana. Amer. J. Bot. 96:448-457.
Vázquez-García et al. 2004. Flora del norte de Jalisco y etnobotánica Huichola. Serie Fronteras de Biodivesidad 1:58.

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	mescal agave	1	Facciola, S. 1998. Cornucopia II: a source book of edible plants Note: Kampong Publications
Spanish	mescal de maguey	2	Gentry, H. S. 1982. Agaves of continental North America
Spanish	mezcal de maguey	2	Gentry, H. S. 1982. Agaves of continental North America

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Chihuahua		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Durango	w.	McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sinaloa		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sonora		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Tamaulipas		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Zacatecas	s.	McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Aguascalientes		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Campeche		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Chiapas		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Guerrero		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Jalisco		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	México		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Michoacán de Ocampo		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Morelos		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Nayarit		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Oaxaca		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Puebla		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Quintana Roo		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Yucatán		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Belize			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Costa Rica			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras		s.	Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Panama			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
2	Cultivated					also cult.
4	Naturalized	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	Eastern Cape		Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
4	Naturalized	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	Gauteng		Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
4	Naturalized	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	Western Cape		Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
4	Naturalized	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Mauritius			Bosser, J. M. et al., eds. 1976-. Flores des Mascareignes.
4	Naturalized	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Reunion			Bosser, J. M. et al., eds. 1976-. Flores des Mascareignes.
4	Naturalized	Australasia	Australia	Australia	Queensland	e.	George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia.

Native
Northern America

NORTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Chihuahua, Durango (w.), Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas (s.)]
SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Aguascalientes, Campeche, Chiapas, Guerrero, Jalisco, México, Michoacán de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Yucatán]

Southern America

CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras (s.), Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador

Cultivated (also cult.)
Naturalized
Africa

SOUTHERN AFRICA: South Africa [Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Gauteng]
WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN: Mauritius, Reunion

Australasia

AUSTRALIA: Australia [Queensland (e.)]

Reference(s)

Bosser, J. M. et al., eds. 1976-. Flores des Mascareignes.
Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia.
Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Human food	beverage base	used to make "bacanora," a type of mezcal	Sánchez-Teyer, F. et al. 2009. Genetic variability of wild Agave angustifolia populations based on AFLP: A basic study for conservation. J. Arid Environm. 73:611-616.
Medicines	folklore		Parrotta, J. A. 2001. Healing plants of peninsular India CABI International, Wallingford, United Kingdom. Note: as Agave wightii

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=1692. Accessed 17 April 2026.