About
Agave chrysantha is a slow-growing evergreen succulent characterized by its rigid rosette of green foliage, which is covered in a powdery blue-grey coating. The leaves feature sharp serrations along their margins and end in brown spines. When fully mature, this species can send up a tall flowering spike that holds rounded clusters of bright yellow blossoms. Following the flowering period, the central rosette dies, giving way to new offsets that emerge from the base.
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
- Chalk, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed, Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H3
Plant details
- Plant type
- Cactus Succulent, Conservatory Greenhouse
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 1-1.5 metres
- Spread
- 1-1.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 10-20 years
- Suggested uses
- City and courtyard gardens, Coastal, Cottage and informal garden, Gravel garden, Patio and container plants, Sub-tropical
- Native to
- SW USA
- 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 cactus compost, water freely when in growth, but keep almost dry over winter. Apply a dilute, liquid fertiliser 3 or 4 times during the growing season. Can be moved to a sunny spot outdoors in summer, but needs to overwinter in a greenhouse or conservatory. See houseplant cacti and succulent cultivation for more advice
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed, or by removing offsets in spring or autumn
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to scale insects
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free