Henequen (Agave fourcroydes)
Description
The leaves of Agave fourcroydes 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 Yucat-n, Veracruz, and southern Tamaulipas. It is also used to make licor del henequ-n, a traditional Mexican alcoholic drink. 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 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. The first person of Spanish descent to document the plant and its usefulness for ropes and other naval utensils was Jos- Mar-a Lanz, a Mexican-born engineer in service of the Spanish Navy, who studied henequen in Yucat-n in 1783.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Liliopsida
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Order: Asparagales
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Family: Asparagaceae
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Genus: Agave
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