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Agave '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 8 to 10 feet tall inflorescence bearing red-tinged green flowers congested on short branches (under 1 foot long) in the upper half of the spike with bulbils arising 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 hardy to the mid 20s
This beautiful variegated plant came to us from Wade Roitsch of Yucca Do Nursery, who brought it back from Thailand labeled Agave celsii 'Marginata' but later changed the name to Agave celsii 'Multicolor' on the recommendation of Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery, who had acquired his plant so named from Succulenta Nursery in Holland. Recent treatments list Agave celsii as a synonym for Agave mitis var. mitis but the origins and true identity of this variegated plant are obscure. It is more tender than Agave mitis and unlike Agave mitis, which has a spicate inflorescence, this plant has short branches and produces abundant bulbils also not seen on Agave mitis. Some speculate that this plant is a Agave mitis hybrid while others suggest it not related at all and that it might be a cultivar of Agave boldinghiana, a Caribbean species described by American botanist and entomologist, William Trelease in 1913. Whatever species this plant is related to, it is a very attractive smaller agave.
This information about Agave 'Multicolor' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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