Agave cupreata is a species of plant in the family Asparagaceae,[2] and is found only on mountain slopes of the Rio Balsas basin in the Mexican states of Michoacán and Guerrero at elevations of 1,200-1,800 meters.[3]A. cupreata is a long-lived plant with mature leaves reaching between 40–80 cm in length and a flowering stalk of 4–7 m.[3] The age of maturity for A. cupreata is variable, but generally occurs at any time from 5–15 years.[4] A monocarpic perennial which does not reproduce clonally, A. cupreata allocates its accumulated resources toward the production of a single inflorescence and dies following the production of seeds.[5]
Communities in the mountains of Guerrero harvest and make mezcal out of Agave cupreata, known locally as maguey papalote.[4]
^"Agave cupreata Trel. & A.Berger". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
^ abGentry, H.S., 1982. Agaves of Continental North America. The University of Arizona press, Tucson, Arizona.
^ abIllsley, C., Tlacotempa, A., Rivera, G., Morales, P., Garcia, J., Casarrubias, L., Calzada, M., Calzada, R., Carranca, C., Flores, J., Omar, E., 2005. Maguey papalote: para todo mal, mezcal; para todo bien, tambien. In: Lopez, C., Chanfon, S., Segura, G. (Eds.), La riqueza de los bosques mexicanos: mas alla de la madera. SEMARNAT, Mexico.
^Nobel, P.S., 1988. Environmental Biology of Agaves and Cacti. Cambridge University Press, New York.
