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].

Related categories for Species: Agave lechuguilla | Lechuguilla