Agave karwinskii aka True Mezcal Agave

Agave karwinskii also goes by the name cachitún. It is a succulent that stays green all year. It belongs to the asparagus family, Asparagaceae. Its home range includes Oaxaca and Puebla in Mexico. LLIFLE lists Veracruz as part of its range too. It grows on dry hills and in scrub and grassland. It also grows in tropical forests whose trees shed their leaves. Wild plants form clumps in shallow soil with stones. Sources also note limestone and sandy soils where it grows.

A short trunk holds a dense crown of leaves. Useful Tropical Plants gives its height as near 4.3 feet [1.3 metres]. Its rosettes, or leaf clusters, span about 3.3–4.9 feet [1–1.5 metres]. LLIFLE reports much taller trunks, reaching 13 feet [4 metres]. The leaves are stiff, fleshy, and pale green. Black spines line the leaf edges, making plants hard to handle. A full-grown crown may hold 80–100 leaves. Each leaf can reach about 2 feet [0.6 metres] long.

Plants grow for several years before they put out flowers. The flower stalk reaches about 10–13 feet [3–4 metres]. Each rosette dies once it has bloomed. But shoots called basal suckers often live on. These grow into new plants around the old base. Creeping stems called rhizomes help form small groups of plants too. The upright crowns and spiny leaves suit use as living fences. Both LLIFLE and Useful Tropical Plants note this use.

LLIFLE says this species adapts well when people grow it. It copes with drought and some frost, but gives no temperature limit. The supplied notes on raising plants call for sun. They also call for soil that drains well. Growers can raise plants from seed or pot up suckers. Seeds may take one to three months to sprout. Keep young plants in pots until they reach planting size. The evidence gives no precise hardiness zone or time of bloom.

People cook the flowers before they eat them. Mature plants also supply the hearts used to make mezcal. Producers cut off the roots and leaves, then bake the hearts. They then crush them, ferment the liquid, and distil it. Wild harvest has grown as demand for mezcal rises. Useful Tropical Plants cites a 2019 IUCN assessment. It gives the plant's status as Vulnerable. It links sharp drops in plant numbers to harvesting mature plants. The sharp leaf spines also pose a clear risk of injury.