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Agave lophantha 'Quadricolor' (Quadricolor Century Plant) - A very distinctive and attractive smaller clustering agave with rosettes to 12 to 18 inches tall by 2 feet wide with 6 to 12 inch long, dark green leaves edged with yellow and having a pale green midstripe. Emerging leaves have reddish teeth that fade to nearly match the yellow marginal stripes and these margins often flush red in winter months when grown in bright light to give the leaf four distinct colors as its name implies, though through much of the year it is still quite attractive without these red tones.
Plant in full sun to bright filtered light. Possibly best sheltered from full summer sun in hot climates though others report it tolerating full sun in the desert. Plant in a well-drained soil where it tolerates dry conditions but will grow much faster with regular summer irrigation - if possible keep drier in winter for best foliage color. This cultivar was thought not as hardy as the species and we originally only listed it to 22° F but have had a gardener report to us that it has proven hardy to several nighttime temperatures as low as 11° F in his South Carolina garden, though extended temperatures this low have killed this plant and others list it reliably hardy to 15° F.. This plant can produce a lot of suckers which are best occasionally removed to keep the plant looking neater. There is a nice description about removing the excess pups this plant produces on Gerhard Bock's Succulents and More blog at Depupping Agave lophantha 'Quadricolor'.
The species Agave lophantha is native to southwest Texas along the Rio Grande Plains and gulf coastal areas south into northern Central Mexico where it is often found on rocky, limestone areas. The name for the genus is one given by Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus. It comes from the Greek word 'agaue' (agauos or agavos) meaning "noble" or "splendid" and originates from Greek mythology. Agaue was the daughter of Cadmus, the king and founder of the city of Thebes, and of the goddess Harmonia. The name was first used by Linnaeus in 1753 when he described Agave americana. The specific epithet is derived from the Greek words 'lofh' meaning 'crest' and "anthos" meaning 'flower' suggesting a plant whose flower has a crest-like or peak-like appearance.
Other names that have been used for this plant include Agave univittata 'Quadricolor', A. univittata Variegated, A. kerchovei 'Pectinata' and 'Goshiki Bandai' (or alternately 'Goshikibandai'). For agave nomenclature we use the treatment of the genus done by Joachim Thiede (University of Hamburg) in the Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Monocotyledons (edited by Urs Eggli) and Agave lophantha is listed as current in this treatment and is also the name John Pilbeam used in his A Gallery of Agaves, published by the British Cactus and Succulent Society in 2013 but the Flora of North America noted that Agave univittata Haworth is the correct name, stating that "The name Agave lophantha was mentioned by C. J. W. Schiede (Linnaea 4: 582. 1829) without a description. C. S. Kunth (Enum. Pl. 5: 838. 1850) validated the name, but not before A. univittata was proposed. Neither name is typified nor is any authentic material known. H. S. Gentry (1982) incorrectly retained A. lophantha and it is now widely used. A. J. Breitung (1959) was the first to adopt A. univittata, and that name is taken up here." However. The Kew database, which is considered most currently correct, considers Agave lophantha to be the correct name for the species and lists Agave univittata as a synonym.
We first received this plant from Carl Schoenfeld and Wade Roitsch after they visited or nursery in 2007 and we have grown this popular plant ever since. The listing in the Yucca Do catalog in 2008 described the plant as: "Normally the leaves are a combination of olive-green, dark-green and cream and are lined with a row of fine teeth that when young are a rich amber, aging to black, then ultimately to grey. If that were not enough under drought and cold the leaves can flush shades of pink to red."
Information displayed on this page about Agave lophantha 'Quadricolor' is based on our research conducted about this plant in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about it as it has grown in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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