Espadín

Agave angustifolia owes its name to the Latin word: "Angusti" which means narrow and is due to the fact that its leaves are long and narrow. The name was given by the English botanist Adrian Hardy Haworth. The abbreviation Haw. is used to indicate Adrian Hardy Haworth as the authority on the scientific description and classification of plants.

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Some of the common names that it receives throughout Mexico are: Maguey Espadín, Maguey de Mezcal, Maguey Mezcalero, Maguey San Martinero, Maguey de Espadilla, Dob-Yee. It is the agave for which the most common names have been registered and this is due to its wide distribution in Mexican territory.

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It is the most widely cultivated species in Oaxaca. The plantations cover a large part of the districts of Yautepec, Tlacolula, Miahuatlán, Ejutla and Ocotlán; In other districts such as Centro, Villa Alta, Sola de Vega, Zimatlán, Zaachila, Tehuantepec and Nochixtlán, the plantations have less coverage and are generally intercropped with basic crops or with other Agave species. The espadin maguey easily adapts to adverse nutritional and climatic conditions and requires high light intensities to compensate for these difficulties.