Agave tequilana, also called "blue agave" and "tequila agave," is a large succulent plant prized for its role as the key ingredient in tequila. Tequila agave is native to Jalisco, a state in western central Mexico.
Tequila comes from the agave plant.
image by Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Javier Lastras
Tequila agave plants have thick, prickly, blue-green stalks that grow to be about two meters long. The plant takes approximately five years to mature; at that point, it grows a stalk with bright yellow flowers.
Tequila agave is susceptible to various forms of rot, which are referred to as "TMA": "tristeza y muerte de agave," or "wilting and death of agave."
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Michelle Wishhart is a writer based out of Astoria, Ore. She has been writing professionally for five years, starting with her position as a staff arts writer for an alternative weekly paper in Santa Cruz. She has a B.A. in fine arts from the University of California in Santa Cruz and a minor in English literature.