General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Cactus/Succulent
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 7b -15 °C (5 °F) to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
Leaves: Glaucous
Evergreen
Fruit: Dehiscent
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Yellow
Flower Time: Spring
Late spring or early summer
Suitable Locations: Xeriscapic
Uses: Will Naturalize
Resistances: Deer Resistant
Drought tolerant
Toxicity: Other: The juice from many species of agave can cause acute contact dermatitis that produces reddening and blistering lasting approximately one to two weeks. Itching may recur up to a year later without a visible rash. Dried parts of the plants can be handled sa
Propagation: Seeds: Can handle transplanting
Other info: Sow in shallow pots with a well draining, sterile mix; 50/50 organic/inorganic of coarse perlite, pumice; sphagnum peat or good compost. Avoid manures. Irrigate from below by submerging in water to 1/2 height of pot. Provide bright, indirect light and a
Propagation: Other methods: Cuttings: Stem
Offsets
Other: Bulbils
Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger
Needs excellent drainage in pots
Miscellaneous: With thorns/spines/prickles/teeth
Monocarpic

Image
Common names
  • Desert Agave
  • Maguey del Desierto
  • Century plant
  • Desert Century Plant

Photo Gallery
Uploaded by mcvansoest
Location: Anza Borrego
Date: 2024-05-10
Location: Anza Borrego
Date: 2024-05-11
Location: Desert Botanical Garden Phoenix Arizona
Date: 2016-01-04
Location: Botanical Garden Barcelona (Spain)
Date: 2017-05-11
Location: Palm Canyon, California
Date: March 13, 2005
photo by Stan Shebs
Location: Palm Canyon, California.
photo by Stan Shebs
Comments:
  • Posted by Baja_Costero (Baja California - Zone 11b) on May 14, 2024 12:39 PM concerning plant:
    Smallish glaucous blue-gray-green agave from the SW US and NW Mexico. Dry-growing, sun-loving, heat-tolerant, and cold-tolerant (when kept dry). Size reaches about 2-3 feet wide (per rosette), depending on the variety and the conditions. Provide excellent drainage and lots of sun for best color and form.

    From southern California, northern Baja California, Arizona and Sonora. Widely distributed and easily viewed in Anza Borrego Desert State Park (CA), where it flowers in vivid yellow during the spring and early summer.

    This species is similar to Agave cerulata, which grows further south in Baja California (the dividing line is about 30°N latitude). The latter plant is usually a different color (more yellow-green), slightly smaller, with leaves that are wider for their length. A. deserti does not usually have brown eyelets ringing the base of the teeth.

    The type variety Century Plant (Agave deserti var. deserti) from CA and BC usually offsets and may form large clumps. Heavily offsetting plants may produce smaller rosettes because they end up competing with each other. Desert Agave (Agave deserti var. simplex) from further north and east is solitary and may be better represented in cultivation. Century Plant (Agave deserti var. pringlei) occurs only in northern BC and is slightly larger.

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