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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Agavaceae (now Asparagaceae) |
| Origin: Mexico (North America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Green |
| Bloomtime: Infrequent |
| Height: 4-5 feet |
| Width: 4-5 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F |
| May be Poisonous (More Info): Yes |
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Agave tequilana (Weber's Blue Agave) A fast growing agave that grows to 5 feet tall and wide with 3 to 4 foot long narrow leaves of a beautiful shade of blue gray with a brown sharp terminal spine and margin teeth. It sends out pups, both near the plant's base and several feet away on rhizomes so give this plant some room. Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil and irrigate very little. This plant needs to be grown where temperatures do not drop below 25°F or even below 27°F for extended periods so it is likely limited to southern California coastal areas or the low desert. This is the plant used in the Jalisco, Mexico as the base ingredient of the distilled spirit called Tequila where it has been cultivated since before the Spanish arrived. Other products derived from this plant include aguamiel and pulque. It is considered a domesticated species without any wild populations known to exist. In Jalisco this plant is grown in well-drained soils at moderate altitudes of 4,500 feet or higher. And the plant is commonly called Tequila Agave or Weber's Blue Agave. The name Agave tequilana was given to this plant by Strasbourg born botanist Frédéric Albert Constantin Weber, sometimes listed as F.A.C. Weber but also known as Dr. Albert Weber, who was classifying Mexican flora in the late 1890's and described Agave tequilana in 1902 in the French Publication “Bulletin du Muséum d'histoire naturelle” (8:220, Paris, 1902). Dr. Weber was part of a French military expedition to Mexico in the mid 1860's and is credited with the description of numerous plants from this trip. This plant is similar to the closely related and widespread plant, Agave angustifolia, but Agave tequilana is generally thought to be more robust in habit with thicker longer leaves, stems and flower panicles. Howard Gentry noted in “Agaves of North America” that “these differences are of degree rather than of distinct contrast, their separation as a species is nominal” but further noted that “the commercial trade with this important economic plant will profit by the maintenance of a simple binomial.
This information about Agave tequilana 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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