Agavoideae

Joshua tree

White Sands National Park

Agavoideae, the agave subfamily of the flowering plant family Asparagaceae (order Asparagales), consisting of 23 genera and 637 species of short-stemmed, often woody plants distributed throughout tropical, subtropical, and temperate areas of the world. Though formerly treated as its own family (Agavaceae), Agavoideae has been recategorized as a subfamily by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group III (APG III) botanical classification system. Members of the subfamily have narrow lance-shaped, sometimes fleshy or toothed leaves that are clustered at the base of each plant. Most species have large flower clusters containing many flowers. The fruit is a capsule or berry.

Caribbean agave

Many of the members of Agavoideae are well-known desert plants. Plants of the genus Agave are important for the fibres obtained from their leaves and are the source of several alcoholic beverages and the sweetener known as agave nectar. Sisal hemp, from A. sisalana, is the most-valuable hard fibre. Henequen fibre is obtained from A. fourcroyoides and cantala, or Manila-Maguey fibre, from A. cantala. Some species of Agave, notably A. tequilana, contain a sap that is fermented to produce alcoholic drinks, including tequila and mescal (mezcal). Many species of the genus Yucca, including Joshua trees (Y. brevifolia) and Spanish daggers (Y. gloriosa), are popular as ornamentals for their woody stems and spiny leaves. Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa) is cultivated for its fragrant volatile oil and has spikes of white flowers.