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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Agavaceae (now Asparagaceae) |
| Origin: Mexico (North America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Pale Yellow |
| Bloomtime: Infrequent |
| Height: 2-4 feet |
| Width: 4-6 feet |
| Exposure: Sun or Shade |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F |
| May be Poisonous (More Info): Yes |
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Agave guiengola (Guiengola Agave) - This large succulent forms open rosettes to 4-5 feet tall by 4 to 6 feet wide. The few massively thick white-green glaucous leaves are very broad at the base and taper to a brown terminal spine. Along the edge of the 24 to 36 inch long leaves there are many tiny dark-colored blunt teeth. When mature this plant produces a 8 to 10 foot tall unbranched spike with pale yellow flowers. Plant in full sun to light shade and irrigate only occasionally in coastal gardens (seems to suffer from edema from over watering) to regularly in hotter inland gardens where some shade is recommended. Protect from temperatures below 25 degrees F to avoid disfiguring the foliage. A stunning plant for large containers or planted in a protected spot in the succulent garden. Typically described as being smaller but our main stock plant purchased from Abbey Gardens Nursery in the mid 1980s and kept in a pot for many years was 6 feet across when it flowered in 2011 after 15 years in the ground. After flowering 3 pups resprouted that after 5 years were each 3 to 4 feet across. Plants in other gardens in Santa Barbara have reached similar proportions. Agave guiengola grows natively on limestone slopes from 330 to 3,280 feet in elevation. The specific epithet is in reference to the Cerro Guiengola, the mountain where the species was first discovered growing on the pre-Colombian ruins at that location. Agave guiengola was first described in 1960 by Howard Scott Gentry but its habitat was visited and described by the Scottish-born naturalist Thomas MacDougall (1895-1973) in an article in the November-December 1956 issue of the Cactus and Succulent Society Journal (V.28 N.6) and was an International Succulent Introduction as Agave guiengola ISI 192 in 1961 from seedlings collected in habitat by MacDougall.
The information about Agave guiengola displayed on this page is based on research conducted in our library and from reliable online resources. We also relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we visit, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others, and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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