Agave phillipsiana

W. C. Hodgson

Novon 11: 410, fig. 1. 2001.

Common names: Phillips agave
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 26. Treatment on page 461. Mentioned on page 443, 446.

Plants acaulescent, freely suckering; rosettes solitary to cespitose, 7.5–10 × 7.5–10 dm, open. Leaves erect, 76–78 × 10–11 cm; blade glaucous-green to dark green, lightly cross-zoned, lanceolate, rigid, adaxially concave toward apex, abaxially convex at base; margins straight or undulate, armed, teeth single, well defined, brittle, 4–7 mm, 1–2.5 cm apart, interstitial teeth (2–) 3–7, mostly along distal 2/3 of margins; apex not conspicuously incurved, spine brownish gray, slender, 2.5–4 cm. Scape 2.7–5.5 m. Inflorescences narrowly paniculate, not bulbiferous, open; bracts persistent, triangular, 1–2+ cm; lateral branches 9–16, ascending to nearly perpendicular, comprising distal 1/3–1/2 of inflorescence, longer than 10 cm. Flowers 32–45 per cluster, erect, 7.4–8.6 cm; perianth greenish cream, tube campanulate, 15.5–20 × 15–23 mm, limb lobes persistent and often leathery during and after anthesis, spreading, unequal, 15–22 mm, apex often flushed with maroon; stamens long-exserted; filaments inserted subequally below rim of perianth-tube, erect, yellow, 4.8–6.4 cm, apex flushed with maroon; anthers yellow, 17–25 mm; ovary 3.3–4.6 cm, neck slightly constricted, 4–8 mm. Capsules not seen. Seeds unknown. 2n = ca. 120.


Phenology: Flowering early summer.
Habitat: Sandy to gravelly places with desert scrub
Elevation: 700–1100 m

Discussion

Agave phillipsiana is known from only four sites within Grand Canyon National Park. All are found on terraces along permanent waterways. Three of the sites are near pre-Columbian agricultural features or habitation sites. Two sites occur near a Kayenta-Anasazi Pueblo cliff dwelling (a.d. 1000–1150), on a terrace presumably once farmed by the early inhabitants. Agave phillipsiana possesses traits that would be advantageous to those harvesting it for food, since it is a plant that freely offsets and has open rosettes with large, long leaves that are easily cut. The species is possibly an ancient cultivar selected by pre-Columbian people from populations related to A. palmeri, A. colorata Gentry, or other closely related taxa.

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.

... more about "Agave phillipsiana"
longitudinal +
1.7 cm17 mm <br />0.017 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
width +  and length +
flushed with maroon +
spreading +  and incurved +
glandular-pubescent +  and glandular +
papillate +
linear +  and oblong or deltate +
unequal +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2.2 cm22 mm <br />0.022 m <br />) +
sharp-pointed +
James L. Reveal +  and Wendy C. Hodgson +
W. C. Hodgson +
armed +  and filiferous +
cross-zoned +, glaucous-green +  and dark green +
convex +, concave +  and lanceolate +
short to long +
persistent +
reflexed +, erect +  and ascending +
triangular +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
umbel-like +
Phillips agave +
fibrous-rooted +
700–1100 m +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
4.8 cm48 mm <br />0.048 m <br /> (6.4 cm64 mm <br />0.064 m <br />) +
broadened +
recurved +  and erect +
loculicidal +
oblong +  and ovoid +
Sandy to gravelly places with desert scrub +
open +  and not bulbiferous +
1/3 +  and 1/2 +
ascending +  and nearly perpendicular +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (?) +
pseudopetiolate +, sessile +  and simple +
evergreen +
76 cm760 mm <br />0.76 m <br /> (78 cm780 mm <br />0.78 m <br />) +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (11 cm110 mm <br />0.11 m <br />) +
dentate +, serrulate +  and entire +
undulate +
fleshy +, firm +  and rigid +
constricted +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (?) +
cylindrical +, ovoid +  and 3-angled +
3.3 cm33 mm <br />0.033 m <br /> (?) +  and 4.6 cm46 mm <br />0.046 m <br /> (?) +
succulent +
not +  and articulate +
umbel-like +
greenish cream +
semisucculent +
Flowering early summer. +
solitary +  and cespitose +
270 cm2,700 mm <br />2.7 m <br /> (550 cm5,500 mm <br />5.5 m <br />) +
globose +, obovoid +  and flattened +
brownish gray +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
semiwoody +
long-exserted +
branched +, , +  and unbranched +
aboveground +
3 +  and 1 +
papillate +
exserted +  and included +
subulate +
Agave phillipsiana +
species +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
1.55 cm15.5 mm <br />0.0155 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
campanulate +
15mm;23mm +
plant +  and suckering +
polycarpic +  and monocarpic +
small;gigantic +
petal-like +