agave

Any of several related plants with stiff, sword-shaped, spiny leaves arranged in a rosette. All species come from the warmer parts of the New World. They include Agave sisalana, whose fibres are used for rope making, and the Mexican century plant A. americana, which may take many years to mature (hence its common name). Alcoholic drinks such as tequila and pulque are made from the sap of agave plants. (Genus Agave, family Agavaceae.)