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Agave toumeyana var. bella (Toumey's Century Plant) - Beautiful small clustering agave growing to around 10 inches tall with 8- to 12-inch-wide rosettes with as many as 100 to 200 stiff 4 to 8 inch long narrow leaves that have attractive white longitudinal markings and margins decorated with curling white threads. Many of the leaves appear an equal length, giving the rosette a flat-top look. At maturity and usually then in late spring or early summer is produced a 4-to-6-foot spicate inflorescence bearing 3/4 to 1 inch long pale yellow flowers with stamens not extending beyond the tube.
Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally to infrequently. Hardy to around 10 °F. Toumey's Century Plant is a nice small specimen plant in the rock or succulent garden and also makes a very attracted long term container specimen.
Agave toumeyana var. bella has a restricted range in the Sierra Ancha Mountains in central Arizona 65 miles northeast of Phoenix where it grows on rocky hillsides, mesas, desert chaparral and pine and juniper forests from 2,400 to 5,200 feet. The type plant was collected in Parker Creek Canyon and first described by August J. Breitung in the 8th of his series of "Cultivated and Native Agaves in the Southwestern United States, published in the May-June 1960 issue of the Journal of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America (Vol. 32, No. 3) where he noted the plant differed from typical form of Agave toumeyana by "having more numerous and shorter leaves forming dense beautiful (hence "bella") rosettes" and further noted that except for the more numerous leaves, the rosettes of this variety closely simulate A. parviflora". The specific epithet honors U.S. botanist Dr. James W. Toumey and the varietal name comes from the Latin word 'bellus' meaning beautiful. Other common names include Toumey Agave, Hardy Century Plant, Silver Dollar Agave, Fairy-ring agave, Miniature Century Plant. Similar but even more attractive than Agave x leopoldii.
Information displayed on this page about Agave toumeyana var. bella 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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