''Agave shawii'' is a species of

monocarpic Monocarpic plants are those that flower and set seeds only once, and then die. The term is derived from Greek (''mono'', "single" + ''karpos'', "fruit" or "grain"), and was first used by Alphonse de Candolle. Other terms with the same meaning ar ...

succulent plant in the genus ''

Agave ''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas and the Caribbean, although some ''Agave'' species are also native to tropical areas of North America, such as Mexico. The genus is primarily known for ...

'', commonly known as Shaw's agave. It is a rosette-forming plant characterized by glossy, green leaves with toothed margins. After several years of slow growth, the plant puts all of its resources to produce a towering stalk of flowers, and then dies. The death of the flowering rosette is compensated by the growth of numerous clonal pups. This species is segregated into two subspecies, one native to the coast of southwestern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and northwestern

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

, known commonly as the coast agave, and another native to the

Baja California desert The Baja California Desert ( es, Desierto de Baja California) is a desert ecoregion of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula. This ecoregion occupies the western portion of the Baja California peninsula, and occupies most of the Mexican states of B ...

, known as the Goldman agave. For centuries, this species proved to be an invaluable source of accessible and abundant food for the

indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

in the region, like the Kumeyaay, Tiipai and Paipai. After the

European colonization of the Americas During the Age of Discovery, a large scale European colonization of the Americas took place between about 1492 and 1800. Although the Norse had explored and colonized areas of the North Atlantic, colonizing Greenland and creating a short t ...

, the Spanish missionaries discouraged use of the agave, and moved the native peoples inland.Wilken, Michael A. (2012) ''An Ethnobotany of Baja California's Kumeyaay Indians.'' Retrieved 13 October 2021 Further development of the agave's habitat by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

settlers contributed to the dwindling population of the species. Only two small populations are left within the

political boundaries Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

of the United States, one with only a single individual. In

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, it is still abundant but threatened by coastal development. Subspecies ''shawii'' is designated as an

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

species by the California Native Plant Society and the IUCN.León de la Luz, J.L. & Vanderplank, S. 2020
''Agave shawii'' subsp. ''shawii''. ''The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species''
2020: e.T125136787A125136804. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T125136787A125136804.en. Accessed on 03 February 2022. The plant is named for Henry Shaw, the founder of the

Missouri Botanical Garden The Missouri Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located at 4344 Shaw Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri. It is also known informally as Shaw's Garden for founder and philanthropist Henry Shaw. Its herbarium, with more than 6.6 million ...

Description

''Agave shawii'' is a very slow-growing, small-to-medium-sized agave. Agave shawii 177375689

The foliage is arranged in a rosette that measures to wide. There may be numerous rosettes on top of erect to decumbent trunks that emerge from the

rootstock A rootstock is part of a plant, often an underground part, from which new above-ground growth can be produced. It could also be described as a stem with a well developed root system, to which a bud from another plant is grafted. It can refer to a ...

. The foliage is glossy, colored light to dark green, and positioned in an ascending fashion. The leaves are shaped narrow to ovate, measuring long by wide, with the abaxial (lower surface) surface convex. Leaves feel thick, fleshy, and rigid, and their margins are armed with colorful and well-defined spines. The spine at the tip of the leaf measures . The panicle-like

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

grows tall. The bracts (leaves on the inflorescence) are persistent, shaped lanceolate to triangular, and are large. Subtended by the bracts are 8–14 lateral

umbel In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...

s (branches), which are long. Each umbel consists of a mass of yellowish or reddish flowers, with 35–75 flowers per cluster. After flowering, it produces fruits large, containing fertilized (black-colored) and unfertilized (white-colored) seeds. It generally flowers September to May, and as typical for agaves, the rosette dies thereafter. Although capable of reproducing by suckering, populations vary considerably in their behavior, with some consisting entirely of individual rosettes, while others form groups or colonies of clones.

Subdivisions

The infraspecific taxa are variously labeled as

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

or subspecies, depending on the source. *''Agave shawii'' subsp. ''shawii'' — The autonymous subspecies. The southernmost "typical" plants that can easily be distinguished occur near

San Quintin San Quintín or San Quintin may refer to : Chile *San Quintín Glacier Mexico * San Quintín, Baja California ** San Quintín Volcanic Field Philippines * San Quintin, Abra *San Quintin, Pangasinan See also * Saint Quentin * Battle of St. Quent ...

. Near El Rosario, both subspecies become difficult to discern. *''Agave shawii'' subsp. ''goldmaniana'' (Trel.) Gentry — Commonly known as the Goldman agave. The rosette leaves are long, and wide, shaped lanceolate. The inflorescence has 18–25 umbels on a 3–5 meter stem. The long and broader shape of the inflorescence, along with the narrow leaves set it apart from the typical subspecies. It predominates in the coast and desert of the southern part of Baja California state. This subspecies has much higher rates of seed set and seedling recruitment compared to subsp. ''shawii''. '' Agave sebastiana'', a plant native to

Cedros Island Cedros Island (''Isla de Cedros'', "island of cedars" in Spanish) is an island in the Pacific Ocean belonging to the state of Baja California, Mexico. The dry and rocky island had a population of 1,350 in 2005 and has an area of which include ...

and the Vizcaino Peninsula, was formerly placed in this species as ''Agave shawii'' var. ''sebastiana''.

Distribution and habitat

This species is primarily distributed in, and near-

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to, the state of

. It was formerly widespread along the coast of

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...

, but coastal development has reduced the entire population to just two natural occurrences, of which only one is wholly natural. There is a north-to-south gap between the southernmost natural plants in San Diego County and the northernmost natural plants in Baja California. The coastal subspecies ''shawii'' is the taxon present in San Diego County, and ranges south to El Rosario in Baja California. At El Rosario, it is subsumed by the desert subspecies ''goldmaniana'', which ranges from there to Santa Rosaliíta in southern Baja California. Subspecies ''shawii'' only occurs in a vegetation community known as

maritime succulent scrub Coastal sage scrub, also known as coastal scrub, CSS, or soft chaparral, is a low scrubland plant community of the California coastal sage and chaparral subecoregion, found in coastal California and northwestern coastal Baja California. It is ...

, which is found along the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

Coast of northern Baja California state of Mexico and southwesternmost San Diego County of California. This habitat only extends a few kilometers into the United States, occurring in narrow bands on coastal bluffs with almost constant exposure to coastal winds with high salt content. Maritime succulent scrub is regarded as the most

xeric Deserts and xeric shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Deserts and xeric (ancient Greek xērós, “dry") shrublands form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of Earth's land surface area. Ecoregions in this h ...

of the coastal sage vegetation types, and is dominated by other succulent plants such as cacti (''

Bergerocactus ''Bergerocactus emoryi'' is a species of cactus, known commonly as the golden-spined cereus, golden snake cactus, velvet cactus or golden club cactus. It is a relatively small cactus, but it can form dense thickets or colonies, with the dense ye ...

, Cylindropuntia'', ''

Ferocactus ''Ferocactus'' is a genus of large barrel-shaped cacti, mostly with large spines and small flowers. There are about 30 species included in the genus. They are found in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Description The y ...

'', '' Mammilaria'', '' Opuntia''), cliff spurge (''

Euphorbia misera ''Euphorbia misera'' is a semi-Succulent plant, succulent shrub in the genus ''Euphorbia'' commonly known as the cliff spurge or coast spurge. A Drought deciduous, drought-deciduous shrub, it is typically found as a gnarled, straggly plant occupy ...

'') and Crassulacean plants like ''

Dudleya ''Dudleya'', commonly known as liveforevers (Spanish: ''siemprevivas'') is a genus of succulent plants in the stonecrop family, Crassulaceae, consisting of about 68 taxa in southwestern North America and Guadalupe Island. The species come in mu ...

''. Subspecies ''shawii'' was probably once found north of Torrey Pines, but with the development of all viable habitat, has all but disappeared from the American side of the border. Subspecies ''goldmaniana'' grows in the southern portion of the maritime succulent scrub and in the

central desert The deserts of Australia or the Australian deserts cover about , or 18% of the Australian mainland, but about 35% of the Australian continent receives so little rain, it is practically desert. Collectively known as the Great Australian desert, t ...

of southern Baja California.

Uses

Cultivation

''Agave shawii'' is cultivated as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

, by specialty

plant nurseries A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to a desired size. Mostly the plants concerned are for gardening, forestry or conservation biology, rather than agriculture. They include retail nurseries, which sell to the general p ...

. It is used in cactus and succulent gardens, containers, and for

drought tolerant Drought tolerance is the ability to which a plant maintains its biomass production during arid or drought conditions. Some plants are naturally adapted to dry conditions'','' surviving with protection mechanisms such as desiccation tolerance, deto ...

and

wildlife garden A wildlife garden (or wild garden) is an environment created by a gardener that serves as a sustainable haven for surrounding wildlife. Wildlife gardens contain a variety of habitats that cater to native and local plants, birds, amphibian ...

s. Plants enjoy a sandy loam soil that has good drainage. It is recommended to plant in a location where the sharp spines will not be a hazard. Virtually disease free except for scale insects. Roots are very rapid responders to rain and dry plants start growing feeder (rain) roots after exposure to the rain. Plants develop best color when exposed to full sun along the coast. Some relief from the hot afternoon sun in the inland valleys with partial shade would provide the best results for growers. Within the United States, it is not recommended to grow this plant in desert locations like

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, but it will thrive in coastal locations from

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. In a preservation effort, Shaw's agaves were introduced into the

Torrey Pines State Reserve Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is of coastal state park located in the community of La Jolla, in San Diego, California, off North Torrey Pines Road. Although it is located within San Diego city limits, it remains one of the wildest stretche ...

and

Cabrillo National Monument Cabrillo National Monument ( es, Monumento nacional Cabrillo) is at the southern tip of the Point Loma Peninsula in San Diego, California, United States. It commemorates the landing of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo at San Diego Bay on September 2 ...

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

and have established themselves. There is also large colony of Shaw's Agave in the

San Diego Botanic Garden The San Diego Botanic Garden, formerly Quail Botanical Gardens, is a botanical garden in Encinitas, California, United States. At , the garden includes rare bamboo groves (said to be the largest bamboo collection in the United States), desert garde ...

located in

Encinitas, California Encinitas ( Spanish for "Small Oaks") is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego, between Solana Beach and Carlsbad, and about south ...

. The

San Elijo Lagoon San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve is one of the largest remaining coastal wetlands in San Diego County, California, United States. History Native American tribes hunted and gathered along the shores of the estuary at least 8,500 years before ...

Nature Center in

Encinitas Encinitas (Spanish for "Small Oaks") is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego, between Solana Beach and Carlsbad, and about south o ...

also has Shaw's agaves planted as part of their California native plant

xeriscaping Xeriscaping is the process of landscaping, or gardening, that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation. It is promoted in regions that do not have accessible, plentiful, or reliable supplies of fresh water and has gained acceptance in other ...

By indigenous peoples

The coastal agave ( Tiipai: ', Paipai: ') was widely utilized by

until the

forced natives away from the coastal region where ''Agave shawii'' occurs. Subsequently, the lack of interaction between native peoples and their agaves led to the decay of knowledge regarding the usage of the local agaves, with the cultivation of agaves in the entire Kumeyaay- Paipai cultural region now only occurring in the village of Santa Catarina.Wilken-Robertson, M. (2004). Strategies for Sustainable Development of Natural and Cultural Resources in the Paipai Indian Community of Santa Catarina, Baja California. ''The US-Mexican Border Environment: Tribal Environmental Issues of the Border Region'', (9), 71. The Spanish

explorers Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

and missionaries from

Sebastián Vizcaíno Sebastián Vizcaíno (1548–1624) was a Spanish soldier, entrepreneur, explorer, and diplomat whose varied roles took him to New Spain, the Baja California peninsula, the California coast and Asia. Early career Vizcaíno was born in 154 ...

and Junipero Serra's expeditions noticed the usage of the agave for fiber and food. Serra said on his arrival to the coast near El Descanso, "We saw the land was covered with very good mescal but I think the Indians pay little attention to it due to the abundance of fish and other foods." Serra's observations fail to take into account the seasonal changes in the food supply, as the agave was heavily utilized in other months.

Juan Crespí Joan Crespí or Juan Crespí (1 March 1721 – 1 January 1782) was a Franciscan missionary and explorer of Las Californias. Biography A native of Majorca, Crespí entered the Franciscan order at the age of seventeen. He came to New Spain ...

stated that the related '' Agave deserti'' was "...a delicious, sweet preserve. This is the wretched heathens’ daily bread." Agaves had high importance for indigenous food networks, but today the laborious effort of preparing the agaves is rarely undertaken. Preparation of the agave for consumption included locating suitable heads, using a

digging stick A digging stick, sometimes called a yam stick, is a wooden implement used primarily by subsistence-based cultures to dig out underground food such as roots and tubers, tilling the soil, or burrowing animals and anthills. It is a term used in a ...

to extract the heads, constructing an

earth oven An earth oven, ground oven or cooking pit is one of the simplest and most ancient cooking structures. At its most basic, an earth oven is a pit in the ground used to trap heat and bake, smoke, or steam food. Earth ovens have been used in many pl ...

, where the agave head would be cooked for two days before it was ready to eat. Importance of the agave as a food is supported by archaeological records showing high dental attrition in the remains of indigenous peoples, likely due to the frequent consumption of tough plant fibers from the agave. The fiber of the agave would have been put to a great variety of uses, for making belts, bowstrings, carrying nets, cordage, sandals, and other indispensable items. Vizcaíno noted that the cordage was used by fishermen to create lines of much higher quality than his own. Some Paipai women still produce agave fiber products today, which are sold as

handicraft A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

s, but also offer to teach both natives and non-natives throughout the region.

Gallery

File:Agave shawii 93227864.jpg, A rosette, with the water of the San Diego Bay in the background File:Agave shawii 93227834.jpg, A planted colony overlooking the San Diego Bay File:Shaw Agave, Agave Shawii 1.JPG, A cluster of rosettes File:Agave shawii 2.jpg, At the Regional Parks Botanic Garden File:Agave shawii shawii 99288704.jpg, The tip of the inflorescence File:J20160414-0115—Agave shawii—RPBG (26239042620).jpg, Detail of the flowers File:Agave shawii goldmaniana 23309804.jpg, A plant with one rosette File:Agave shawii goldmaniana 32446188.jpg, A rosette with the inflorescence emerging out of frame File:Agave shawii goldmaniana 49594273.jpg, Numerous plants preparing to flower File:Agave shawii goldmaniana 32446159.jpg, A plant in flower File:Agave shawii goldmaniana 32446201.jpg, The inflorescence File:Agave shawii goldmaniana 32446217.jpg, Detail of the flowers

References

* Raymond M. Turner, Janice E. Bowers, and Tony L. Burgess, ''Sonoran Desert Plants: an Ecological Atlas'' (Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 1995) pp. 63–65

External links

Calflora Database: ''Agave shawii'' (Shaw's agave, coastal agave)

Jepson eFlora treatment of ''Agave shawii''

USDA Plants Profile for ''Agave shawii'' (coastal agave)

''Agave shawii'' — UC Photos gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q146168, from2=Q60453055, from3=Q49548740 shawii Flora of California Flora of Baja California Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of San Diego County, California Taxa named by George Engelmann Agave shawii subsp. shawii