Agave americana var. americana

Common names: Century plant maguey
Synonyms: Agave gracilispina Engelmann ex Trelease
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 26. Treatment on page 453. Mentioned on page 443.

Plants acaulescent or short-stemmed; rosettes rather dense. Leaves frequently reflexed, 100–200 × 15–25 cm; blade light green to glaucous-gray, sometimes variegated yellow or whitish; margins undulate to crenate, teeth 5–10 mm; apical spine subulate, 3–5 cm. Scape 5–9 m. Inflorescences: lateral branches 15–35. Flowers 7–10 cm; perianth-tube 8–20 mm; ovary 3–4.5 cm. Capsules 4–5 cm. Seeds unknown. 2n = 120.


Phenology: Flowering mid spring–early summer.
Habitat: Sandy places in desert scrub
Elevation: 200 m

Discussion

The cultivar of Agave americana var. americana, technically a variant of A. americana subsp. americana derived from subsp. protamericana, is planted widely in the warmer regions of the United States and elsewhere in the world; only in the south Texas region of the flora is the plant native. At least five additional variants have been named based on leaf variegation patterns, but none is worthy of formal taxonomic recognition.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thick" is not a number. "thin" is not a number."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

longitudinal +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
width +  and length +
glandular-pubescent +  and glandular +
papillate +
linear +  and oblong or deltate +
dark-brown +  and grayish +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
James L. Reveal +  and Wendy C. Hodgson +
Linnaeus +
armed +  and filiferous +
whitish +, variegated yellow +, light green +  and glaucous-gray +
convex +, plane +  and lanceolate +
short to long +
persistent +
reflexed +, erect +  and ascending +
triangular +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
umbel-like +
short-pedicellate +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
Century plant +  and maguey +
fibrous-rooted +
Tex. +  and e Mexico +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br />) +
broadened +
7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
cultivated +
loculicidal +
oblong +  and ovoid +
Sandy places in desert scrub +
1/3 +  and 1/2 +
horizontal +  and slightly ascending +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (?) +
pseudopetiolate +, sessile +  and simple +
evergreen +
100 cm1,000 mm <br />1 m <br /> (200 cm2,000 mm <br />2 m <br />) +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br />) +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
dentate +, serrulate +  and entire +
undulate to crenate +  and straight +
undulate +  and crenate +
fleshy +, firm +  and rigid +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
constricted +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (?) +
cylindrical +, ovoid +  and 3-angled +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (?) +  and 4.5 cm45 mm <br />0.045 m <br /> (?) +
succulent +
not +  and articulate +
umbel-like +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
semisucculent +
Flowering mid spring–early summer. +
not cespitose +
500 cm5,000 mm <br />5 m <br /> (900 cm9,000 mm <br />9 m <br />) +
globose +, obovoid +  and flattened +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
semiwoody +
long-exserted +
branched +, , +  and unbranched +
aboveground +
3 +  and 1 +
papillate +
exserted +  and included +
subulate +
Agave gracilispina +
Agave americana var. americana +
Agave americana subsp. americana +
variety +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (200 cm2,000 mm <br />2 m <br />) +
subequal +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
short-stemmed +  and acaulescent +
polycarpic +  and monocarpic +
small;gigantic +
petal-like +