CENTURY PLANT AGAVE ARTICLE & PHOTOS BY PATINA THOMPSON
It’s common to refer to most spiny pokey plant species that thrive in the harsh conditions of the desert as cacti, but that’s not the case. There’s a difference between cacti and succulents. Succulents are a broad group of plants that are also widely adapted to hot and dry environments. They have diverse forms, colors and blooms. They are able to store water in their stems, leaves and roots and have a fleshy appearance. Succulents often lack leaves. Cacti belong to the family Cactaceae, and have a unique morphology. In most cacti, leaves are modified into spines. Their large flowers arise from areoles, which are small, cushion-like structures. Both succulents and cacti have shallow roots to collect the maximum amount of rainfall in arid environments and a tap root to access precipitation that percolates to deeper depths. In short, all cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. The agave species within the Asparagaceae family are a unique specimen of succulents. Agave are common in the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts of Arizona and New Mexico at elevations between 3,000-6,000 feet. Agave thrives in dry, rocky soils and full sun. They also tolerate cold temperatures well.
Agave can be described as a large succulent with blue-green fleshy leaves that form in a rosette-style mass full of sword-like, spinetipped weapons. The leaf end is very sharp and small serrations are common along the leaf edge. Most agave species can be distinguished by their leaf size, spine shape, and the overall size of the plant. In Arizona, it’s common to see five species of agave; Palmer’s century plant (Agave palmeri), Parry’s agave (Agave parryi), Schott’s century plant (Agave schottii), Golden flowered agave (Agave chrysantha), and American agave (Agave americana). Heights vary from two to six feet, but that doesn’t include their magnificent stalk, which starts out looking like an asparagus sprout (see family name!). Agave bloom June through August and all species are monocarpic, meaning they flower, set seed, then die. Also called the century plant, the agave will send up a large stalk and bloom on average at 10 to 20 years of age, not 100 as its name suggests. These stalks can be huge, and produce massive flower clusters with fruit in a large capsule. The capsules start out green and flexible and mature to a dark brown/black and split open. Only the plant that blooms dies, the colony from which it 17
came, lives on through suckers at the base, or seeds from the host plant. Young agave are often called pups. Wildlife thrive on the nectar from Agave species’ flowers, they are an important food and pollen source for hummingbirds and insects. The plants themselves can provide a protective habitat for birds and small mammals. A.palmeri is a critical source of pollen for some migratory bat species in the southwest. The century plant was important to Native Americans. It provided food, fiber, soap, medicine and lances. The sharp tips of the leaves were used as needles for sewing. The century plant does well in cultivation. The blue agave, or Agave tequilana, is a great example of this and might be considered the more popular cousin of Agave as it is used to produce tequila. This succulent is a member of the Lily family, and grown exclusively in cultivation in several eastern states of Mexico. Regardless of the species, the agave is an important and remarkable succulent that is well adapted to the desert, and gives quite a beautiful show of colors as it finishes its life cycle in the arid southwest. ©Rocking P Photography
