Agave ovatifolia 'Orca'

'Orca' is a variegated form of Agave ovatifolia, the whale's tongue agave of the mountains of Nuevo León, north-eastern Mexico. A US specialist nursery describes it as a plant discovered in the mountains of northern Mexico, with blue leaves bordered by a very wide creamy-yellow edge, and expects a mature size of about 60 cm tall and 120 cm wide. It says the plant was propagated for ex-situ conservation using horticultural techniques, while the original clone remains in the wild. The species, described in 2002, forms a rounded rosette of short, broad, cupped grey leaves, rarely offsets and is notably cold-hardy. The named selection 'Vanzie' has unvariegated silver-blue leaves with wavy edges, whereas 'Orca' is instantly recognisable by its broad creamy-yellow margin. Variegated tissue tends to scorch in strong light, and its cold tolerance may not match that of green plants. In Japan it is a rare cultivar handled only occasionally by specialist nurseries.

The Agave ovatifolia 'Orca' grows to About 60 cm tall and 120 cm wide (expected mature size).

Light feeder; a little slow-release fertiliser in the growing season is enough