Scientific Name:
Agave americana
Pronunciation:
uh-GAH-vay uh-mair-ih-KAY-nuh
Common Name:
century plant
Family Name:
Asparagaceae
Plant Type:
Succulent or Cacti
Key ID Features:
Leaves large, evergreen, in basal rosette, lanceolate to linear, most cvs. grown indoors 60-90 cm long x 10-25cm wide, succulent, greyish-green, many yellow variegated cvs., margin and tip spinose.
Habit:
Stiffly upright
Form:
Mounded
Texture:
Very coarse
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
0.6 - 1.0m
Growth Rate:
Slow
Origin:
Mexico
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 9: (-7 to -1 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Sheltered
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Rocky or gravelly or dry, Well-drained
Water Use:
Low
Landscape Uses:
Accent plant, Container planting, Indoor plant (Caution: poisonous parts)
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Basal
Texture/Venation:
Leathery, Succulent, Prickly, Parallel venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Glaucous
Colour in Summer:
Green, Silver / Grayish
Shapes:
Lanceolate
Apices:
Acuminate
Bases:
Sheathing
Margins:
Dentate, Serrate, Spinose
Inflorescence Type:
Panicle, Corymb-like
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
3
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Yellow, Green
Flower Time at Peak:
Jul, Aug
Additional Info:
Indoor plants rarely flower; outdoor plants (in warmer climates) may take 10 - 25 years and then the plant dies (monocarpic)
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
Brown, Black
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Fruit insignificant
Bark or Stem Colour:
n/a
Organ Modifications:
Spines, Succulent leaves, Root suckers
Propagation:
Seed, Division - above ground parts
Optimal Temp.:
Medium
Light Level:
High
Maintenance:
Low
Other:
Life expectancy < 30 years
Pest Susceptibility:
Root rot, Scale insects (Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant)
