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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Agavaceae (now Asparagaceae) |
| Origin: Mexico (North America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Yellow Green |
| Bloomtime: Infrequent |
| Synonyms: [Agave mitis var. mitis] |
| Parentage: (possibly a A. boldinghiana cv) |
| Height: 2-3 feet |
| Width: 2-4 feet |
| Exposure: Sun or Shade |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Deer Tolerant: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F |
| May be Poisonous (More Info): Yes |
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Agave celsii 'Multicolor' - A medium sized clump-forming agave with rosettes to 2 feet tall and as broad with fleshy 6 inch wide by 2 foot long cream-margined green leaves that gracefully curve upwards. The leaves appear unarmed but have soft terminal spines and minute, backward curving, brown spines along the leaf edge. This plant produces a short a 4 to 6 foot tall unbranched spike bearing red-tinged green flowers congested on the upper third of the spike and unlike the species produces bulbils in the flower axils. Plant in full sun or light shade and irrigate infrequently to occasionally. Drought tolerant in our coastal California gardens. This plant is considered tender as agaves go but other forms of Agave celsii withstood the 1990 frost in our garden when temperatures dropped to 18° F and in "Agaves, Yuccas and Related Plants", Mary and Gary Irish note that Agave celsii survived temperatures to 12° F in eastern Texas but this form is considerably less tender. This beautiful variegated form was shared with us by Wade Roitsch of Yucca Do Nursery, who brought it back from Thailand. We had initially listed it as Agave celsii 'Marginata' but later changed the name to 'Multicolor' on the recommendation of Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery, who had acquired his plant named as such from Succulenta Nursery in Holland. Recent treatments list Agave celsii as a synonym for Agave mitis var. mitis but the origins of this variegated plant are obscure and some speculate that this plant really is not related to Agave mitis and may actually be a cultivar of Agave boldinghiana, a species described by American botanist and entomologist, William Trelease in 1913. This may help explain the bulbils in the flower axils and tenderness of this plant.
This information about Agave celsii displayed is based on research conducted in our library and from reliable online resources. We will also note observations that we have made about it as it grows in the gardens in our nursery and those elsewhere, 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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