Agaves are plants with succulent leaves arranged in a spiral around a short stem originary from a region formely known as Mesoamerica having its diversity core in México with over 150 endemic species. This plants have been of high cultural and economic importance for different indigenous groups because agaves were source of food, beverages, medicine, fuel, housing, fibers, among others.

Agave is a scientific term used worldwide since 1753 proposed by the Swedish botanists Carl Linnæus from the Greek Agavos that means noble or admirable. Before that agaves were known locally by different names depending on the indigenous group that inhabited each region: metl (náhuatl), doba (zapoteco), akamba (purépecha), uadá (otomí), etcetera; now the common name mostly used is Maguey, a Caribbean word brought by the Spanish.

Agaves have well adapted to adverse conditions for survival, the maturity point in agaves depend in both species and growth conditions and can take from 7 to 35 years to reach full maturity. During this time the plant gathers nutrients for producing the “quiote” an inflorescence that grows from the center of the plant agaves produce either spiky or paniculate inflorescence and is produced once in a lifetime being the only opportunity for sexual reproduction. Most agaves used for agave distillates have panicles and its flowers are rich in nectar, since the flowers open at night they’re pollinated mainly by bats and secondarily by moths, birds, and insects. After the inflorescence is fully developed the plant dies completing its life cycle.

Most species of agave have another way of reproduction: asexual. Clonal sprouts (or hijuelos) grow not far from the “mother” plant having the capacity to become an independent plant, even if it is a natural process they have no significant genetic variation compared to the mother this is an action that allows the agave to broaden the distribution area and tend to produce more in number when the conditions are stressful.