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[2nd Image]
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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Agavaceae (now Asparagaceae) |
| Origin: Mexico (North America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Red & Yellow |
| Bloomtime: Infrequent |
| Height: 6-8 feet |
| Width: 8-12 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| 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 atrovirens (Maguey) - One of the largest of the Agave, reaching 6 to 8 feet tall with dense rosettes of dark green 16 inch wide leaves that have smooth dark green leaf surfaces marked with gray bud imprints and small evenly space dark brown teeth and terminal spines. When mature produces a 15+ foot spike that has type cymes of reddish buds that open to bright yellow flowers - quite spectacular in bloom! Plant in full sun in a well drained soil and give occasional to very infrequent irrigation. Has proven hardy to at least 25 °F in our nursery garden. Give this plant some room! It is pictured in Howard Scott Gentry's Agaves of Continental North America with him sitting on a leaf within the rosette. Our second image of this plant shows our attempt to recreate this look by putting Greg Starr, author of the more recent book Agaves: Living Sculptures for Landscapes and Containers in a plant growing in a Santa Barbara garden. Agave atrovirens is native to the central Mexicand states of Oaxaca, Puebla and Veracruz where it is used to make pulque, mescal the nectar used as a natural sweetener and the fibers extracted from its leaves are used for fabrics. 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 comes from the Latin words 'ater' meaning "black" or "dark" and "virens" meaning "green" in reference to this plant's dark green leaves. It is known by several other common names such as Maguey Manso, Tlacámel, and Clacámel. Our plants from bulbils collected from our specimen that flowered and died in our nursery garden in 2016. This plant itself had been grown from a bulbil collected many years ago in Oaxaca.
The information about Agave atrovirens displayed on this page is based on research conducted in our nursery library and from online sources we consider reliable. We will also relate those observations made of this plant as it grows in our nursery gardens and in other gardens that we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has additional information, particularly when they share cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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