Hechtia montana is a species of plant in the genus Hechtia. This species is endemic to Mexico.

Hechtia montana
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Bromeliaceae
Genus: Hechtia
Species:
H. montana
Binomial name
Hechtia montana
Brandegee

The Latin specific epithet montana refers to mountains or coming from mountains.[1]

The plant is used as a traditional food source in Sonora, Mexico; the Guarijío call it hichiconi and roast the rosettes, eating them much like an artichoke, while the Tarahumara are said to give it the name chikani and eat the leaves raw year-round.[2]

Hechtia montana with Dudleya nubigena in the Sierra de las Cacachilas, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

References edit

  1. ^ Archibald William Smith A Gardener's Handbook of Plant Names: Their Meanings and Origins, p. 239, at Google Books
  2. ^ Felger, Richard S. (2000). "Roasting the Hechtia out of it: The use of Hechtia montana (Bromeliaceae) as a Food Plant in Sonora, Mexico". Economic Botany. 54 (2): 229–233.