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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Agavaceae (Agaves) |
| Origin: Mexico (North America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Yellow |
| Bloomtime: Infrequent |
| Synonyms: [A. franzosinii, Hort.] |
| Height: 6-8 feet |
| Width: 8-10 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 15-20° F |
| May be Poisonous (More Info): Yes |
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Agave 'Sawtooth' - A large succulent that grows to 6 to 8 feet tall by 8 to 10 feet wide as a single large rosette of powdery bluish-gray large leaves that undulate and bend gracefully. Plant in full sun and give little to occasional irrigation. This plant is very similar to Agave franzosinii and in fact is often sold under this name by other California nurseries. It differs in not being as massive and having narrower leaves that are not as ghostly white as A. franzosinii. It also has much smaller more evenly spaced spines along the leaf margins and lacks the dark green markings typical of A. franzosinii, where the glaucous covering is rubbed off the emerging leaves from contact with older leaves. This beautiful plant has long been in cultivation and we have thought it as cold hardy as Agave americana but have been told by those growing this plant in Tucson that it is not as hardy as Agave franzosinii and will be damaged at temperatures around 15 F. We received this plant in the mid 1980s from John Greenlee and the original plant in our garden has flowered. Over the years we have asked numerous people what to call it and while many noted its similarities to Agave franzosinii, we lacked a name until seeing the plant in 2008 at B&B Cactus Farm labeled as Agave 'Sawtooth'. We inquired about this with owner Mark Sitter and it turned out that he had purchased it as Agave franzosinii but coined the name 'Sawtooth' when he realized it was different. We think this a great name for this Agave franzosinii imposter – still a nice and useful plant that is smaller, but quite different from that big ghostly 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 Agave 'Sawtooth' .
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