High and low temperature tolerances and their relationships to distribution of agaves 

 -  Plant, Cell & Environment, 6(9), p.711-719, 1983 .
<br/><br/> The potential influence of tissue tolerances to extreme temperatures on distributional limits was investigated for 15 taxa (14 species)of leaf?succulent agaves from the south?western United States and northern Mexico. As a group, the agaves exhibited a moderate low temperature tolerance of - 11°C (based on a 50 percent inhibition in the number of mesophyll cells taking up a stain, neutral red). However, nearly all of the species were able to tolerate extremely high tissue temperatures of over 60°C. Nocturnal acid accumulation by these crassulacean acid metabolism plants was about 6°C more sensitive to temperature extremes than was cellular membrane integrity. 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Topical Terms: </label><br/>ABSORPLANCE<br/>ACCLIMATION<br/>AGAVACEAE<br/>COLD<br/>CRASSULACEAN ACID METABOLISM (CAM)<br/>DESERT<br/>HEAT<br/>LEAF<br/>MORPHOLOGY<br/>SUCCULENT