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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Agavaceae (Agaves) |
| Origin: Mexico (North America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Red/Purple Foliage: Yes |
| Synonyms: [Agave 'Blood Spot', Manfreda 'Blood Spot'] |
| Parentage: (Agave macroacantha hybrid x Manfreda maculosa?) |
| Height: 1 foot |
| Width: 1-2 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F |
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Mangave 'Bloodspot' - A compact succulent that forms a non-suckering compact rosette to 12 inches tall by 15 inches wide with upright 8 inch long by 1 inch wide gray-green leaves that have a fine-toothed margin edged with maroon and are speckled with spots of the same color. Plant in full sun to light shade in a relatively well-drained soil and irrigated occasionally. This plant came onto the horticultural scene in California in 2008 so we are still discovering its drought resistance and cold hardiness Given this plant's parentage we speculated that it will likely be hardy in most coastal California gardens and should be able to get by with only limited irrigation. There are some good reports on Xeric World that indicate that it has tolerated temperatures down to 26° F with moist soils in Montery County (by Richard Pontius) - good to distinguish this as some succulents seem much more prone to problems in our mediterranean climate with its cool and moist winter than just cold weather. Greg Starr in Tuscon also indicated that it has tolerated temperatures down to 22° F for him. This compact plant is one of the most attractive of the smaller Agaves and is great in a container or planted out in the garden. The origin of this apparent Agave x Manfreda hybrid is a bit of a mystery but the plant is believed to be a Agave macroacantha hybrid with Manfreda maculosa that may have originated in Japan. In the recent treatment in "Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants; Moncotyledons" edited by Urs Eggli (2001) Joachim Thiede, the author on the Agavaceae, combined Polianthes (Tuberose) and Manfreda into Agave, thus making the Mangave actually an interspecific Agave hybrid - for now we will leave it as x Mangave but note that this plant is sometimes listed as Agave hybrid 'Bloodspot' or 'Blood Spot'. We thank Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery for some of this information and the use of his image of this unusual and attractive plant.
This description of this plant is based on our research and our observations of it growing at the nursery, in our own garden and in other gardens. We always appreciate receiving feedback of any kind from those who have any additional information about this plant, particularly if they disagree with what we have written or have additional cultural tips that would aid others growing x Mangave 'Bloodspot' .
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