Tobaziche (Agave Karwinskii)

The maguey known in Miahuatlán as Tobaziche is an increasingly rare cultivar endemic to this region. Tobaziche was one of the many native magueyes nearly eradicated from the area when, in the 1980’s, industrial producers from Jalisco bought up local agaves en masse, encouraging farmers to replace them with Espadín. Prized for its beauty and sugar content, this variety of Agave karwinskii is relatively slow to mature, taking around 16 years before it is ready to harvest.

When the plants are young, Tobaziche greatly resemble Madrecuixe, another karwinskii cultivar, though there are some clear distinctions between the two. Tobaziches have greener pencas, differently shaped spines, and a rosette that takes a slightly more oval form as the plant gets larger. As they approach maturity, Tobaziches will grow significantly larger than a Madrecuixe, commonly reaching 5-7 feet in height and developing piñas that can weigh well over 300 lbs. It is a maguey that is able to reproduce from seed as well as through its root system, though interestingly, the Miahuatlán Tobaziche is often found growing in beds of agave cultivated from Madrecuixe seedstock. Tobaziche is generally a cultivated, or semi-cultivated varietal, but because of its relationship to the Madrecuixe, small feral populations do exist.

Habitat: Xeric shrublands, tropical deciduous forest and protected along roads or bordering farmland; on limestone or sandy sedimentary soils. At elevations of 900-1500 m.

Phenology: Blooms from September to October and fruits from November to January.