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| Agavaceae | ||||||||||
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Agave Beschorneria Cordyline Dasylirion Dracaena Furcraea Hesperaloë Littaea Manfreda Nolina Phormium Polianthes Prochnyanthes Sansevieria Yucca |
Agavaceae is a family of plants that includes many well-known desert and dry zone types such as the agave, yucca, and Joshua tree. The family includes about 550-600 species in 18 genera, and is widespread in the tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions of the world.
Some genera (e.g. Cordyline and Dracaena) are sometimes separated off into a separate family, Dracaenaceae.
Species may be succulent or not. In general, Agavaceae leaves occur as rosettes at the end of a woody stem, which may range from extremely short to tree-like heights, as in the Joshua tree. The leaves are parallel-veined, and usually appear long and pointed, often with a hardened spine on the end, and sometimes with additional spines along the margins.
Agave species are used to make pulque and mescal, while others are valued for their fibers. They are quite popular for xeriscaping, many types having showy flowers.