The author of the present book "The Agaves," Alwin Berger (1871-1931), was a German botanist, gardener, and succulent researcher. Berger served as the director of the Hanbury Botanical Garden at Capo Mortola near the municipality of Ventimiglia in Italian Liguria from 1897 to 1914. From 1915 to 1926, he was the head of the State Gardens of Württemberg. The agaves (Agave) are a genus of plants in the subfamily Agavoideae within the asparagus family (Asparagaceae). Agaves are sometimes referred to as century plants because they bloom only once, and it can take several decades to develop a flower stalk. Illustrated with 79 black and white images and 2 maps. Reprint of the original edition from 1915.