Agave Encyclopedia

A hybrid with powdery blue-grey leaves set off by dark to reddish margins and sharp spines. Its parentage has not been published, and some think it may be the same plant as the very similar 'Burnt Burgundy'.

A hybrid with blue-green leaves edged red and then thinly in yellow, which glow when backlit. A cross of Agave attenuata and A. ocahui, it grows slowly as a single rosette.

A cross of A. victoriae-reginae and A. palmeri with blue-green leaves strongly edged deep red. It closely resembles 'Blue Glow' and 'Blue Ember' but tends to have thicker, shorter leaves. Variegated forms also circulate.

A long-established Japanese-named cultivar with matte blue-grey, sharp leaves and striking red or orange teeth. Types with glossy red teeth or teeth fused into bands exist, and it offsets freely.

A cross of Agave ovatifolia and A. victoriae-reginae. Thick, ovate leaves carry crisp white bud imprints that differ on every plant, and it inherits cold tolerance from ovatifolia.

Widely distributed from Mexico to Central America. Narrow leaves with many variegated cultivars available. Believed to be ancestral to Agave tequilana. Hardy and fast-growing.

A relatively compact agave with soft leaves. Thin blue-green leaves create elegant atmosphere.

Native to Arizona. Named 'golden flower' for its yellow blooms. Bright green leaves with small teeth. Cold-hardy and easy to grow.

A small spineless agave. Dense rosette type producing many offsets for clustering. Safe to manage.

A variegated Japanese-named agave of the schidigera/filifera group with a cream-white margin along the leaf edges: white thread-like filaments peel from the edges of narrow sword-shaped leaves, and the white markings on the leaf faces contrast beautifully with the threads.

A medium agave from Coahuila to Nuevo León, Mexico. Forms an elegant rosette of long, narrow green leaves. Rich in fibers traditionally used for brushes and other products.

An agave from the Sierra Madre of Mexico. Forms wide green rosettes with finely serrated leaf margins. Relatively large species; monocarpic, dying after flowering.

Medium agave from Texas to New Mexico. Characterized by slim, elegant leaves. Related to Palmeri but more slender. Very cold-hardy, suited for ground planting.

A popular agave long cultivated in Japan. Hardy, easy for beginners, and easily available.

A small agave widely native to the Chihuahuan Desert. Called the 'indicator plant of the Chihuahuan Desert'. Sharp leaf tips and clumping habit. Strong fibers traditionally used for rope and baskets.

An agave with narrow leaves and abundant white thread-like fibers, similar to Filifera. Sometimes considered a hybrid.

Small agave native to Arizona. Narrow gray-green leaves form compact rosettes. Characterized by filaments along leaf margins. Extremely cold-hardy.

Native to Arizona. Historically cultivated by indigenous peoples for food. Produces bulbils on flower stalks for vegetative reproduction. Characterized by hard gray-green leaves.