Agave deserti Engelm.

Desert agave (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Asparagales > Asparagaceae > Agave

Characteristics

Plants acaulescent or short-stemmed, sparsely or prolifically suckering, trunks 0.2–0.4 m; rosettes solitary or numerous, 3–7 × 4–8 dm, compact to rather open. Leaves ascending, widest at base, (20–)25–70 × 4.5–10 cm; blade grayish, gray-or blue-glaucous, yellowish green, or greenish, occasionally cross-zoned, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, rigid, adaxially concave, abaxially convex; margins straight or undulate to crenate, armed, teeth single, weakly attached, well defined, of 2 types, 2–3 mm or (5–) 6–8 mm, (1–)1.5–3 cm apart; apical spine light or dark brown to gray, subulate to acicular, 2–4 cm. Scape 2–6 m. Inflorescences paniculate, not bulbiferous, open; bracts persistent, triangular, 8–15 cm; lateral branches 6–15, slightly ascending, comprising distal 1/5–1/4 of inflorescence, longer than 10 cm. Flowers 12–48 per cluster, erect, 3–6 cm; perianth yellow, tube shallow, campanulate or funnelform, 3–10 × 9–15 mm, limb lobes wilting soon after anthesis, spreading, equal, 13–20 mm; stamens long-exserted; filaments inserted unequally above middle or at rim of perianth tube, erect, yellow, 2.5–3.5 (–4.2) cm; anthers yellow, 13–21 mm; ovary 1.6–4 cm, neck slightly constricted, 4–6 mm. Capsules short-pedicellate, ovoid to oblong or obovoid, 3.5–5.5 cm, apex beaked. Seeds 5–6 mm.
More
A succulent plant. It can be simple or form clumps. It grows 2.4-4.5 m high and spreads 40-60 cm wide. The leaves are narrow and 15-40 cm long. They are bluish-green to grey and have small sharp teeth along the edge. The flower stalk is 2.4-4.5 m tall. It is branched. The flowers are bright yellow.
Life form perennial
Growth form
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 0.7 - 1.05
Mature height (meter) 0.4 - 0.5
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway cam

Environment

Sandy to gravelly or rocky places, in desert scrub and pinyon-juniper woodlands, at elevations from 500-1,500 metres.
More
It grows in desert areas. It can grow in arid places. Melbourne Botanical gardens. It suits hardiness zones 9-11.
Light 7-9
Soil humidity 1-3
Soil texture 3-6
Soil acidity 2-6
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-10

Usage

The flowers and flower buds are eaten. The flower stalks are baked and the starchy cake eaten. The leaf bases are baked and eaten. The sap is used to make an alcoholic drink. Caution: Alcohol is a cause of cancer. The flower nectar is eaten.
Uses animal food dye fiber food fuel material
Edible flowers nectars saps stems
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) 30 - 90
Germination temperacture (C°) 12
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) 1
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Agave deserti habit picture by Martin Bishop (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Agave deserti leaf picture by César Pérez Arroyo (cc-by-sa)
Agave deserti leaf picture by César Pérez Arroyo (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Agave deserti flower picture by John Galt (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Agave deserti fruit picture by César Pérez Arroyo (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Agave deserti world distribution map, present in United States of America

Conservation status

Agave deserti threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:61932-1
WFO ID wfo-0000754311
COL ID 5TQK8
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Agave deserti Agave deserti subsp. deserti

Lower taxons

Agave deserti var. pringlei Agave deserti var. simplex Agave deserti var. deserti