Introductory
SPECIES: Agave lechuguilla | Lechuguilla 



ABBREVIATION : 
AGALEC

SYNONYMS : 
   Agave lecheguilla
   Agave lophantha var. poselgeri


SCS PLANT CODE : 
   AGLE


COMMON NAMES : 
   lechuguilla
   lecheguilla
   shindagger


TAXONOMY : 
The currently accepted scientific name of lechuguilla is Agave
lechuguilla Torr. [15,16].  In Mexico, lechuguilla hybridizes with Agave
lophantha [15].


LIFE FORM : 
Shrub

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
No special status

OTHER STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


COMPILED BY AND DATE : 
Ronald Uchytil/October 1990


LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : 
NO-ENTRY


AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
Uchytil, Ronald J. 1990. Agave lechuguilla. In: Remainder of Citation

DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Agave lechuguilla | Lechuguilla 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : 
Lechuguilla is essentially restricted to and is considered an indicator
species of the Chihuahuan Desert [15].  It occurs from southeastern New
Mexico and western Texas southward to the Mexican states of Mexico and
Hidalgo [10,15].


ECOSYSTEMS : 
   FRES30  Desert shrub
   FRES34  Chaparral - mountain shrub
   FRES35  Pinyon - juniper
   FRES40  Desert grasslands


STATES : 
     NM  TX  MEXICO


ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS : 
     AMIS  BIBE  CACA  GUMO


BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 
    7  Lower Basin and Range
   13  Rocky Mountain Piedmont


KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : 
   K023  Juniper - pinyon woodland
   K031  Oak - juniper woodland
   K044  Creosotebush - tarbush
   K054  Grama - tobosa prairie
   K058  Grama - tobosa shrubsteppe
   K059  Trans-Pecos shrub savanna


SAF COVER TYPES : 
   239  Pinyon -juniper
   241  Western live oak


SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : 
NO-ENTRY


HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES : 
Lechuguilla is the characteristic leaf succulent of numerous climax
plant communities in the Chihuahuan Desert [15].  The following
publication lists lechuguilla as a dominant species in some communities:

Fire ecology study of the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park,
  Texas: Phase I. [8]

VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Agave lechuguilla | Lechuguilla 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Livestock:  Lechuguilla leaves are poisonous to cattle, goats, and sheep
but are rarely eaten [15,32].  Cattle frequently eat the flowering
stalks of small Agaves [15].

Wildlife:  Few mammals inhabit lechuguilla-dominated areas.  Desert mule
deer and desert rodents, especially pocket mice, cactus mice, kangaroo
rats, and pocket gophers, are the most common residents [4,7].  Mule
deer and collared peccaries eat small 2- to 5-inch tall rhizomatous
offsets [17,26].  Mule deer may consume large numbers of the flower
stalks [17].  Pocket gophers eat the "core" of the plant [17].  Bats and
hummingbirds often consume lechuguilla pollen and nectar [15].
Flickers, doves, pigeons, wrens, ravens, parrots, and the crested
caracara feed on lechuguilla pollen, nectar, and flowers [15].


PALATABILITY : 
Lechuguilla is unpalatable or of very low palatability to livestock.
Mule deer preference for lechuguilla is rated as high during fall,
winter, and spring, and low during the summer [30].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Lechuguilla flowers are a good source of water and energy for animals
[11].  The nectar is sweet, syrupy, and nutritious [15].  Leaves contain
a toxic saponin and are poisonous to livestock [15].  Data from a
nutritional analysis of lechuguilla leaves is presented below [3]:

                   Percentage of oven dry weight
                  -------------------------------
                  crude fiber    ash     protein

                    30.7         6.96     3.68


COVER VALUE : 
Lechuguilla often occurs in dense stands which presumably provide cover
for small wildlife species.


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Lechuguilla's central bud is an excellent source of hard fibers, known
as "istle" or "ixtle," which are used in making twine and rope, sacks,
mats, cushions, stuffings, and brushes [15,23].  Recent research shows
that lechuguilla fibers are comparable to glass fibers, and may also be
used in construction materials [2].  In northern Mexico, thousands of
people harvest wild plants each year for fiber [31].  Natural stands
occur mostly on rocky, broken terrain unsuitable for tillage.  Thus, a
vast supply of wild plants is available for harvest.  Lechuguilla has
recently been considered as a source for steroid drug manufacture
because the leaves contain significant amounts of the steroid precurser,
smilogenin [15].

Native Americans used lechuguilla as a source of fiber for clothing,
rope, sleeping mats, sandals, and baskets [6].  They also ate various
plant parts.  Inflorescences, stems, and unfolded leaves were roasted or
boiled before eating, which broke down glucans into digestible sugars
[23,31].  Lechuguilla leaves and roots contain saponins and were often
used by Native Americans to produce soaps [6].

Lechuguilla is cultivated as an ornamental landscape plant [33,35].
Landowners sometimes sell wild plants to homeowners or to nurseries for
resale [33].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Hazards:  Lechuguilla leaves are rigid and sharp.  They can puncture
vehicle tires, cut animal and human legs, and even impale a rider thrown
from a horse [21].

Livestock poisoning:  Sheep and goats are more likely to be poisoned by
lechuguilla than cattle are.  Cattle are occasionally poisoned, but
usually only during drought or when there is a shortage of good forage
[32].  Affected animals have a loss of appetite, are listless, and make
no effort to get up with the herd or flock.  They become progessively
weaker, emaciated, and eventually die.  A complete list of clinical
signs and treatment of affected livestock is available [32].

Productivity:  Lechuguilla productivity can be significantly increased
with irrigation during the dry season, or with applications of nitrogen,
phosphorus, or boron [25,27].

BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Agave lechuguilla | Lechuguilla 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Lechuguilla is a perennial, evergreen leaf succulent.  Up to 50 thick
and rigid, ascending to erect, sharply pointed, linear-lanceolate, light
green to yellow green, 10- to 20-inch-tall (25-50 cm) leaves form a
basal rosette [15].  Lechuguilla often occurs in extensive colonies with
several thousand rosettes per acre because clones or offsets are
produced on rhizomes [15,23].  Rhizomes are fleshy and thick, and the
roots are fibrous and shallow, seldom extending more than 4 or 5 inches
(10-12 cm) below the soil surface [23,24].  Individual rosettes flower
once and then die.  When they flower, the central bud of the rosette
grows into a 8- to 11.5-foot-tall (2.5-3.5 m) stalk, with purplish or
yellow flowers occurring in clusters in a spikelike panicle at the apex
[15,35].  The fruit is a brown to black, oblong nearly cylindrical
capsule, about 0.6 to 1.0 inch (1.5-2.5 cm) long [35].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Hemicryptophyte
   Geophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Reproductive Strategy:  Because lechuguilla occurs in an environment
where seedling survival is rare, it reproduces almost entirely by
rhizomes, with populations composed primarily of a series of clones
[10,12].  Nevertheless, lechuguilla produces large numbers of seeds, and
sexual reproduction may occasionally occur when conditions for
germination and seedling establishment are optimal.

Vegetative reproduction:  Young offset clones are produced by rhizomes
of the parent plant [23].

Flower and fruit production:  Individuals are monocarpic, flowering only
once at the end of the plant's life cycle, which may be between the age
of 3 and 20 years [11,31,35].  In general, populations flower
extensively each year [11].  Flowers are pollinated by numerous insects
and animals which feed on the sweet nectar.  Pollinators include moths,
bees, wasps, beetles, bats, and hummingbirds [11,23].  Many capsules are
produced along a spikelike panicle, each producing up to several hundred
seeds [10].

Seed dispersal: The erect capsules are longitudinally dehiscent.  The
seeds are gradually shaken out of the cracks by animals and wind [15].
Most seeds fall near the parent plant, but strong winds may blow some
seeds several hundred feet [15].  

Germination and establishment:  Lechuguilla seeds are not dormant and
may germinate as soon as they fall to the soil surface if moisture is
sufficient [10].  Light is not required for germination.  In laboratory
experiments, seeds germinated well whether placed on the soil surface or
buried beneath soil [10].  Optimal germination temperatures are between
77 and 86 degrees F (25-30 C), although seeds will germinate over a
broad range of temperatures (59 to 104 degrees F [15-40 C]) [10].  Only
about 50 percent as many seeds germinate if temperatures are 21.6
degrees F (12 C) below optimum or 14.4 degrees F (8 C) above optimum
[23].  Germination is suppressed by alternating temperatures which
include exposure to 104 degrees F (40 C) for only 4 hours each day [11].
Under natural conditions, germination appears to occur primarily in
protected microhabitats toward the end of the summer rainy period when
soil temperatures are close to those optimal for germination [23].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Lechuguilla is restricted to the Chihuahuan Desert.  It is most commonly
found above the shrubby plains, on rocky, limestone derived soils of
mountain slopes, foothills, bajadas, and mesas [4,11,15].  These
habitats are often dominated by leaf (Agave spp., Hechtia spp.) and stem
(Yucca spp., Dasylirion spp.) succulents [4].  Lechuguilla may be the
primary plant, with dense stands averaging up to 12,145 rosettes per
acre (30,000/ha) [15] or it may codominate with other shrubs, such as
smooth sotol (Dasylirion leiophyllum), creosotebush (Larrea tridentata),
skeleton goldeneye (Viguiera stenoloba), oneseed juniper (Juniperus
monosperma) and ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens) [7,8,14,29,36].  Other
common associates include grama grasses (Bouteloua spp.), threeawns
(Aristida spp.), cacti (Opuntia spp.), mariola (Parthenium incanum),
rocktrumpet (Macrosiphonia spp.), and smallseed sacahuiste (Nolina
microcarpa) [7,8,14,29].

Soils:  Lechuguilla is primarily restricted to light-colored and highly
calcareous, limestone-derived soils [10].  It occasionally occurs on
igneous and sandy substrates, but on these soils, populations are much
less dense [11].  Limestone soils may be derived from either primary
sedimentaries or caliche [15].  Lechuguilla is usually absent from
volcanic areas [15].  In Big Bend National Park, smooth
sotol-lechuguilla-dominated communities occur on both limestone and
igneous rock, with soil textures of fine sands, silts, and silt-clay
loams [7].  The pH of igneous and limestone soils in Big Bend National
Park is similar, ranging from 8.0 to 8.9 [7].

Elevation:  Lechuguilla occurs from about 972 to 5,906 feet (300-1,800
m) in elevation [12] but is most common below 4,922 feet (1,500 m) [11].
Along the Guadalupe Escarpment in New Mexico and Texas, lechuguilla is
usually the dominant shrub between 3,800 and 4,600 feet (1,158 and 1,402
m) [14].  At elevations above 4,000 feet (1,219 m), lechuguilla often
occurs in the understory of oak chaparral (Quercus grisea, Q. gravesii)
and woodlands which may be dominated by Mexican pinyon (Pinus
cembroides), ponderosa pine (P. ponderosa), alligator juniper (Juniperus
deppeana), oneseed juniper, Texas madrone (Arbutus texana), and bigtooth
maple (Acer grandidentatum) [7,36].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Obligate Climax Species

Lechuguilla is characteristic of climax Chihuahuan Desert shrub
communities. 


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
New lechuguilla leaves unfold from the central spike during the
relatively wet summer and early fall.  About one new leaf unfolds per
month during this time of the year, for a total of about six or seven
new leaves per plant over the entire year [24,27].

During most years flowering occurs during May and June; however,
flowering may be infrequent or extend as late as October if the
preceeding rainy season or winter was particularly dry [11].  Near El
Paso, Texas, flower shaft growth was found to be rapid, peaking at 7.8
inches (20 cm) per day and reaching an average shaft length of 8.5 feet
(2.6 m) in 3 to 4 weeks [11].  Resources for flower stalk growth are
drawn mainly from the leaves.

FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Agave lechuguilla | Lechuguilla 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Lechuguilla does not appear to be highly adapted to fire.  It often
occurs in dense stands which readily carry fire, burn hot, and suffer
high mortality [17].  However, a small percentage of plants sometimes
survive and produce rhizomatous offsets [1].  Some plants may also
escape fire because they occur in protected, rocky microhabitats [17].
It is possible that some plants may become established from
wind-dispersed seed from nearby unburned plants; however, seedling
establishment is a rare event, requiring both cool temperatures and
moist soil [12].


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Rhizomatous shrub, rhizome in soil
   Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)

FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Agave lechuguilla | Lechuguilla 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Lechuguilla is susceptible to high mortality following fire.  Plants
usually die if more than 50 percent of their leaves are scorched [17].
An August wildfire east of Big Bend National Park reduced lechuguilla
cover from 2.4 percent to 0.03 percent (a 98.8 percent reduction); the
number of rosettes was reduced by 90 percent [5].  Although rhizomes are
sufficiently insulated belowground, food reserves and water are stored
in the leaves, which are easily damaged.  Lechuguilla is therefore
generally unable to recover vegatively by producing new offset plants.


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Because it suffers high mortality, lechuguilla frequency and cover
probably remain well below preburn levels for many years.  In the
Guadalupe Mountains, sampling of several burns showed that 3 to 7 years
after these fires occurred, lechuguilla's average cover on burned sites
was only 19 percent of that on unburned sites [1].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY

References for species: Agave lechuguilla

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2. Belmares, Hector; Castillo, J. Ernesto; Barrera, Arnold. 1979. Natural hard fibers of the North American Continent. Statistical correlations of physical and mechanical properties of lechuguilla fiber. Textile Research Journal. 49(11): 619-622. [12069]

3. Botkin, C. W.; Shires, L. B.; Smith, E. C. 1943. Fiber of native plants in New Mexico. Bulletin 300. Las Cruces, NM: New Mexico State University, Agricultural Experiment Station. 38 p. [5097]

4. Brown, David E. 1982. Chihuahuan desertscrub. In: Brown, David E., ed. Biotic communities of the American Southwest--United States and Mexico. Desert Plants. 4(1-4): 169-179. [3607]

5. Bunting, Stephen C.; Wright, Henry A. 1977. Effects of fire on desert mountain shrub vegetation in Trans-Pecos, Texas. In: Sosebee, Ronald E.; Wright, Henry A., eds. Research highlights: Noxious brush and weed control: range and wildlife management. Volume 8. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University: 14-15. [12205]

6. Castetter, Edward F.; Bell, Willis H.; Grove, Alvin R. 1938. The early utilization and the distribution of Agave in the American Southwest. The University of New Mexico Bulletin. Vol. 5, No. 4 (Whole number 335). Albuquerque, NM: The University of New Mexico Press. 92 p. [12060]

7. Denyes, H. Arliss. 1956. Natural terrestrial communities of Brewster County, Texas, with special reference to the distribution of the mammals. The American Midland Naturalist. 55(2): 289-320. [10862]

8. Dick-Peddie, William A.; Alberico, Michael S. 1977. Fire ecology study of the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park, Texas: Phase I. CDRI Contribution No. 35. Alpine, TX: The Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute. 47 p. [5002]

9. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]

10. Freeman, C. E. 1973. Some germination responses of lechuguilla (Agave lechuguilla Torr.). The Southwestern Naturalist. 18(2): 125-134. [12234]

11. Freeman, C. Edward; Reid, William H. 1985. Aspects of the reproductive biology of Agave lechuguilla Torr. Desert Plants. 7(2): 75-80. [12035]

12. Freeman, C. E.; Tiffany, Robert S.; Reid, William H. 1977. Germination responses of Agave lechuguilla, A. parryi, and Fouquieria splendens. The Southwestern Naturalist. 22(2): 195-204. [2494]

13. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others]. 1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]

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17. Kittams, Walter H. 1973. Effect of fire on vegetation of the Chihuahuan Desert region. In: Proceedings, annual Tall Timbers fire ecology conference; 1972 June 8-9; Lubbock, Texas. No. 12. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers Research Station: 427-444. [6271]

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20. Lyon, L. Jack; Stickney, Peter F. 1976. Early vegetal succession following large northern Rocky Mountain wildfires. In: Proceedings, Tall Timbers fire ecology conference and Intermountain Fire Research Council fire and land management symposium; 1974 October 8-10; Missoula, MT. No. 14. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers Research Station: 355-373. [1496]

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24. Nobel, Park S.; Quero, Edgar. 1986. Environmental productivity indices for a Chihuahuan Desert CAM plant, Agave lechuguilla. Ecology. 67(1): 1-11. [12067]

25. Nobel, Park S.; Quero, Edgar; Linares, Heladio. 1989. Root versus shoot biomass: responses to water, nitrogen, and phosphorus applications for agave lechuguilla. Botanical Gazette. 150(4): 411-416. [12165]

26. Powell, A. Michael. 1988. Trees & shrubs of Trans-Pecos Texas including Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks. Big Bend National Park, TX: Big Bend Natural History Association. 536 p. [6130]

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29. Reid, William H.; Freeman, C. Edward; Echlin, R. Douglas. 1981. Soil and plant relationships in a Chihuahuan Desert Larrea-Agave community. The Southwestern Naturalist. 26(1): 85-88. [12235]

30. Severson, Kieth E.; Medina, Alvin L. 1983. Deer and elk habitat management in the Southwest. Journal of Range Management Monograph No. 2. Denver: Society for Range Management. 64 p. [2110]

31. Sheldon, Sam. 1980. Ethnobotany of Agave lechuguilla and Yucca carnerosana in Mexico's Zona Ixtlera. Economic Botany. 34(4): 376-390. [12063]

32. Sperry, O. E.; Dollahite, J. W.; Hoffman, G. O.; Camp, B. J. 1964. Texas plants poisonous to livestock. Report B-1028. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas Agricultural Extension Service. 59 p. [23510]

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Related categories for Species: Agave lechuguilla | Lechuguilla