One of the common plants of the Chihauhuan Desert and considered the
principal indicator of that region, lechuguilla (lay-chu-GHE-ah) covers
the ground so densely in some places that it is impossible to walk
through it. The stiff, erect, needle-tipped, banana-shaped leaves are a
hazard to man and beast. The flowering stalk, which blossoms in May and
June, is unbranched and flexible, bending gracefully in the desert
breeze. Deer and cattle nip off the tender buds. Mexicans weave the
tough leaf fibers into coarse fabrics; and the roots, called _amole_,
produce suds when rubbed in water.
_Agave lechuguilla_ Amaryllis Family
[Illustration: LECHUGUILLA]