Agave vilmoriniana     
Octopus agave   
Agavaceae Family     

Form: thick-leafed succulent, pointed leaves form basal rosette
Seasonality: evergreen; dies after blooming
Size: 3-4ft, spread 5-6ft; slow growth rate
Leaves: thick succulent points to 3ft long; curvy tropical effect; leaves are recurved and smooth with only small saw-tooth roughness to margins, spineless
Flowers: large spike 10 to 12ft tall, yellow, shaped like an elongated/narrow Q-tip, baby plantlets cling to stalk after mother plant has died; plantlets fall to ground and root
Fruit: none, reproduction by plantlets only
Stems/Trunks: n/a

leaf form of Agave vilmoriniana

Range/Origin: NW Mexico, desert Southwest
Hardiness: tip damage in mid-teens, damage is persistent and unattractive

LANDSCAPE VALUE:

• specimen plant
• most tropical-looking of agaves
• does not produce offsets
• good in containers

CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Exposure: full sun to part shade, does not take reflected heat
• Water: 1-2 times per month during hot season
• Soil: adaptable, requires good drainage
• Propagation: plantlets from stalk
• Maintenance: minimal; removal of entire dead plant after flowering

NOTES:

attractive grouping of Agave vilmoriniana

faster growing when given supplemental water

bloom spike

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This page was first created August 29, 2001 and last modified May 15, 2004.

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Web page design and photographs by Toni Moore, Master Gardener
email to: tmoore1@flash.net

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