Typically vinos de mezcal (1) are made by cooking the heart of the agave (2) either by steaming in an autoclave or by baking in ovens (3) which is then crushed to obtain a sweet juice. This juice is then fermented and then distilled to produce the alcoholic beverages known as mezcal and tequila. Before the notion of Mezcal or Tequila as categories of spirits, … Continue reading Destilado de Pulque
The Aztec universe has been poorly represented and even less eloquently articulated. This is in some way to be expected as our understanding of this universe has been in many ways limited by the existing written sources that describe this universe. These sources were, by and large, written by the very peoples who destroyed the culture they were inadequately attempting to describe and were also … Continue reading Xochipilli : New Floral Identifications
Also Known As: Flor de Noche Buena, Euphoribia, Spurge Root, Snake Root, Asthma Plant, Christmas flower, Easter flower, Lobster flower, Mexican flame leaf, Mexican flame tree Euphorbia pulcherrima : Euphorbia – late Middle English: from Latin euphorbea, named after Euphorbus, Greek physician to the reputed discoverer of the plant, Juba II of Mauretania (1st century BC) and pulcherrima – the “most beautiful” or “beautiful treasure” … Continue reading Cuetlaxochitl : The Poinsettia
from nahuatl alaztic (or alactic) meaning slippery. This no doubt refers to the mucilaginous baba (1) common to the Mallow (2) family. Synonyms. Anoda hastata Cav., Sida cristata L., Anoda triloba Cav., Anoda dilleniana Cav. Also calledCrested anoda, spurred anoda, malva, malvilla, malvarín, bimalva, malva de castilla, malva cimarrona, malva abrisca, malvavisco (marshmallow), panelita, quesitos, quesillo, amapolita azul (blue poppy), amapola silvestre (wild poppy), amapolita … Continue reading Quelite : Alache : Anoda cristata
syn Porophyllum scoparium also called Hierba del venado, jarilla, romerillo (1) (Coahuila) Romerillo is also the common name for Bidens pilosa (which is also called black-jack, beggarticks, hairy beggarticks, cobbler’s pegs, devil’s needles, Spanish needle, shepherds needles, farmers friend, Devils Pitchfork, sticky beaks, toothache plant) Porophyllum X fruticulosum Rydb. was first proposed in 1916 as a species, typified by a specimen collected by Palmer near … Continue reading Porophyllum fruticulosum
The classification of some porophyllums can be somewhat problematic. Even if we completely discount the confusion over the common names of plants in this family there are still stumbling blocks present even in the Latin binomial nomenclature (1) of the species. Binomial nomenclature (“two-term naming system”), a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both … Continue reading Porophyllum amplexicaule
Syn Pectis taxifolia Also called : false damiana (1), damianita daisy, Garañona, Calanca (Vera Cruz) ; Yeyepaxtle (Puebla) ; San Nicolas; hierba de San Nicolas (Coahuila, Durango, San Luis Potosi) ; damiana, damianita (Chihuahua, Durango, Texas), mariola (Valley of Mexico), false damiana, romerillo (Coahuila, Hidalgo); also said to be known as guayule (Lappas & Gustafson 1950) Bigelowia veneta and Haplopappus laricifolius are also called false … Continue reading Damianita : Chrysactinia mexicana
Syn. : Anthemis valentina, Porophyllum macrocephalum DC. var. leiocarpum Urb. Also called : yerba de peo Porophyllum macrocephalum and Bifora testiculata have also been called yerba de peo. P.leiocarpum is native to the region of Puerto Rico and can also be found in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Brazil. This plant is considered an “invasive” in Venezuela. (Rodrigo etal 2007) In the Monograph of the … Continue reading Porophyllum leiocarpum
SynonymsEupatorium punctatum Mill., Gardn. Diet. ed. 8, no. 1 1. 1768.Kleinia jorullensis HBK, Nov. Gen. & Sp. 4:156. 1820.Porophyllum nummularium DC, Prodr. 5:649. 1836.Porophyllum jorullcnse Cass., Diet. Sci. Nat. 43:57. 1826.Porophyllum ervendbergii Gray, Proc. Amer. Acad. 19:35. 1883.Porophyllum palmeri Rose, Contr. U.S. Nat. Herb. 1 :338. 1895.Porophyllum nelsonii Robins. & Greenm., Proc. Amer. Acad. 32:32. 1896.Porophyllum millspaughii Robins, in Millsp., Field Columb. Mus. Publ. Bot. … Continue reading Porophyllum nummularium
The agave is a multi-use plant. Aside from its edible and medicinal uses (and lets not forget tequila or mezcal) it has other utilitarian purposes. The skin of the penca can be used as a type of baking paper, string and rope can be made from these fibrous “leaves” and much of the plant can be used as building material. In some species the thorn … Continue reading The Maguey as building material.
Masa Americana 