Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil and irrigate only occasionally. This plant has not been in cultivation long enough to know its temperature tolerances, but it should be at least as hardy as its parents, tolerating temperatures down to around 20° F. or less. This cultivar with its attractively colored incredibly uniform and clean sharp features makes a beautiful garden specimen and a great potted specimen.

This hybrid plant combines the best traits of the two very attractive parent species, popular Agave macroacantha and the popular Agave victoriae-reginae. Like Agave macroacantha this plant has narrow outwardly radiating leaves and a dark terminal spine and, like its other parent, Agave victoriae-reginae, this plant has chiseled dark edges lacking spines on the margins. The leaves are thicker than typical Agave macroacantha but not triangular like Agave victoriae-reginae.

There is some disagreement on this plant's origins. One story is that it was reportedly discovered at Tropic World, the famed nursery of Paul Hutchinson in north county San Diego and another is that it came from a controlled breeding program at the nearby Rancho Soledad Nursery. To our knowledge a valid name had not been published for this beautiful plant and so we applied the name 'Royal Spine' to it in reference to its two parents; Agave macroacantha's specific epithet is Latin for "large spine" and Agave victoriae-reginae was named for that most famous royal, Queen Victoria. We have also seen internet listings with the fitting name of 'Green Steel' for this plant, and it may be the same plant marketed as 'Little Shark'. We thank Allen Repashy for sharing this plant with us that we grew and sold from 2010 to 2016. 

Information displayed on this page about Agave 'Royal Spine' 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.