About
Agave americana is a perennial plant that maintains its foliage year-round, developing rosettes of leaves that feature spiny edges and a grey-green hue. Mature specimens can produce tall panicles, reaching up to 8 meters, adorned with greenish-yellow flowers that measure about 8 centimeters long. Flowering typically occurs in older plants.
About the genus
Agave consists of either perennial or monocarpic succulents that develop rosettes of typically stiff, thick, spiny leaves. The plants produce funnel-shaped flowers in racemes or panicles that often exceed the height of the rosettes.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- East-facing, South-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H2
Plant details
- Plant type
- Cactus Succulent
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 1-1.5 metres
- Spread
- 1-1.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 10-20 years
- Suggested uses
- Architectural, City and courtyard gardens, Patio and container plants, Mediterranean climate plants, Coastal
- Native to
- S USA to Mexico
- Toxicity
- Skin irritant. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets (dogs, cats): harmful if eaten. For further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow under glass in a standard cactus compost, in bright, filtered light. When in growth water moderately and feed every two or three weeks with a balanced liquid feed. Keep almost dry in the winter. See houseplant cacti and succulent cultivation for further information
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by offsets taken in spring or autumn
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to scale insects
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free