Agave sisalana Perrine

Sisal, hemp plant, mescal, sisal agave, sisal hemp

Sisal is native to southern Mexico. It is a succulent that prefers sandy soils. Sisal is extensively cultivated for its fiber, which boasts high tensile strength, and resistance to alkalis, acids, abrasion, corrosion, and seawater. The fiber is traditionally used for rope and twine, and has many other uses, including paper, cloth, footwear, hats, bags, carpets, geotextiles, and dartboards. It is so strong that it is sometimes used to reinforce fiberglass, rubber, and concrete.

Plants: Like other agaves, sisal forms a rosette of lanceolate leaves—a hemispherical array of spine-tipped leaves like an overstuffed pincushion. Spines on leaf tips are dark brown. Plants are 5–6½′ (1.5–2 m) in size.

Leaves: Young leaves have some small teeth, but they disappear as the plant matures. Early leaves are green, maturing to dark blue-green. Each leaf is up to 5′ ⨉ 6″ (1.5 m ⨉ 15 cm).

Flowers: A large panicle with dense clusters of flowers, on a stalk up to 20′ (6 m) tall. Flowers are yellowish-green with red filaments.

Fruits: Sisal does not produce fruits. Rather, it produces bulbils, baby plants.

Edibility: This and other agaves are used to produce mezcal, a distilled spirit.

Habitats: Coastal uplands, scrub, scrubby flatwoods, pine rockland, disturbed sites.

Online References:

Agave sisalana description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

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