Mexican Agave Attenuata: what it is, as well as the names and photos of Parryi, Queen Victoria, Deserti, Vilmorena, Stricta and other species of agave houseplant

Agave is a perennial stemless plant that is a close relative of cacti and aloe (how to distinguish agave from cactus and aloe, read here). Mexico is considered the birthplace of this flower, but it also grows in the Caucasus, North America and the Crimea. Agave got its name in honor of the daughter of the mythical Greek king and it is translated as - noble, glorious, magnificent and worthy of surprise. The agave plant has many varieties and species, which will be discussed in this article - you will learn what the Mexican and many other types of flower are, see their photo.

Types of indoor plants - names and photos

American (Agave americana)

This species contains many vitamins and minerals. It is also considered one of the most effective means in traditional medicine. The native land of this species is Central America, but it also has taken root well in Russia, in places such as the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and on the southern coast of Crimea.

American Agave is a plant with a thick, shortened stem and a rosette of fleshy bluish-green leaves, whose length reaches 2 m. The leaves have an elongated shape, the top of which is twisted into a pointed tube.

An adult bush of this species in width can reach sizes from 3 to 4 m. Flowering occurs at about 6 - 15 years of life.

At the time of flowering, a tall arrow (6-12 m) grows from the core of the outlet at the end of which many small flowers appear.

This species has several subspecies that differ in leaf color:

agave americana marginata - leaves have bright yellow edges;
agave americana mediopicta - a longitudinal wide yellow stripe is located in the center of the leaves.

Filifera (Filifera)

Agile filifera, or nitenos, grows in the vastness of Mexico. It is a small plant with hard leaves, on which a large number of white threads are located, from which the name of the species originated.

The plant is a small dense bush with densely planted matte leaves. They have a lanceolate shape and grow in length from 15 to 20 cm.

The top of the leaves has a sharp shape and eventually acquires a gray tint. Thin white fibers are located around the perimeter of the leaves.

There are several subspecies:

agave filifera subsp. filifera;
agave filifera subsp. microceps;
agave filifera subsp. multifilifera;
agave filifera subsp. schidigera.

Queen Victoria (Victoria-reginae)

This is one of the most beautiful representatives of the species among this family. The birthplace of this species is the stony elevated slopes of the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. This plant is named after the Queen of England, Queen Victoria.

Queen Victoria's agave is a neat compact bush with lush dark green leaves. They have a beautiful lanceolate shape and they grow to a length of only 15 cm.

Spines in this species are present only at the apex.

Slanting white lines flaunt along the leaves.

Sisalana (Sisalana)

Sisal agave, or simply Sisal, is famous for its hard large leaves, from which they make fiber called sisal, which is necessary for the production of ropes, nets, fabrics, etc.

Initially, this plant came from southern Mexico, on the Yucatan Peninsula. As a result, thanks to the coarse fiber obtained from the leaves, it spread in many tropical and subtropical regions. Most of all it is cultivated in Brazil, since this country is the leader in the production of sisal fiber.

This species is a large rosette of leaves of the xiphoid shape. Their length can reach up to 2.5 meters. Along the edge of young leaves there are many spikes that are lost over time.

Sisal agate blooms only once in a lifetime.

During flowering, a high flower arrow suddenly grows from the outlet, on which corymbose inflorescences from numerous yellow-green flowers form. After flowering, the plant dies.

Blue Agave (Azul)

This species is also called tequila (agave tequilana) or Mexican agave, since it is from blue agave that they make the traditional drink of Mexico - tequila.

Blue agave is not grown as a houseplant, as it grows exclusively in arid and wild conditions. It lives only on Mexican lands.

Blue agave has fleshy elongated leaves of a blue hue, which have a xiphoid shape. Their surface is very hard and matte, and inside the leaves are filled with juice.

You can learn more about the blue agave here.

Vilmoriniana

One of the most unusual species from the agave family. This plant is named after Maurice de Vilmoren, who was a French botanist and was engaged in forestry and dendrology. This flower was first discovered in the state of Guadalajara. It mainly grows in the mountainous Mexican area.

The main feature of this species is an unusual outlet, the shape of which resembles an octopus. The leaves of this flower are long, linear in shape, the edges of which are slightly wavy.

Toward the end, the leaves begin to taper and curl, which is why the plant takes the form of a frozen octopus, which has spread its tentacles.

They have a bright bluish-green hue, and on the surface there is a dark marble pattern.

Viviparous variety (Vivipara)

The most common form and therefore its name has many synonyms. It grows in Mexico, South Africa and Portugal.

This is a perennial plant that grows up to 80 cm in height and about the same in width. He has a spherical rosette, with pointed leaves of the xiphoid shape. The width of the leaves varies from 4 to 10 cm, and their hue is from grayish green to bright green.

The peculiarity of this species is noticeable only during flowering. It has one of the largest peduncles, which reaches a length of up to 5 meters in height.

At its top, many inflorescences with large yellowish flowers are formed. There are several varieties:

agave vivipara var. vivipara;
agave vivipara var. deweyana;
agave vivipara var. letonae;
agave vivipara var. nivea;
agave vivipara var. sargentii.

Direct (Stricta)

This is a decorative species from the agave family. His homeland is the Mexican state of Pueblo. This species has very succulent erect leaves, which are slightly expanded at the base and sharply turn into linear ones, and their tops are shortly pointed. Sometimes the leaves may bend.

The socket is multi-sheeted and has a spherical shape. With age, this plant begins to branch and becomes multi-rosette. The peduncle is quite long and reaches a length of 2.5 meters.

Mexican

Ornamental perennial plant with oblong thick leaves. The shape of the leaves is xiphoid with a convex base, and along the edges they are framed by serrated edges. They have a narrowed apex, with a small spine at the end. The surface of the leaves is marked by a characteristic waxy coating. Mexican agave has a yellowish-cream color with longitudinal stripes.

Desert (Deserti)

It lives in the desert regions and on the rocky slopes of California and Arizona. This plant forms a rosette of fleshy gray-green leaves, the length of which can reach from 20 to 70 cm. Sharp thorns are located at the edges and at the end of the leaves.

It begins to bloom at the age of 20 to 40 years, after which the plant dies.

The peduncle is suddenly thrown from the middle of the outlet and reaches a height of up to 6 meters. At its end there is an inflorescence with many yellow funnel-shaped flowers, the length of which is not more than 6 cm.

There are two subspecies:

Agave deserti var. deserti - differs in numerous sockets and a perianth tube 3-5 mm. It grows exclusively in the vastness of Southern California.
Agave deserti var. simplex - this subspecies has one or more outlets and a pericolor tube with a length of 5 to 10 mm. Cultivated in Arizona and Southern California.

Parry (Parryi)

This is a unique decorative look that looks very similar to the Parrach agave. Cultivated in mountainous sandy areas in the southern United States and in Mexico. He has a rather loose basal rosette, with elongated ovate leaves. The top of the leaves is pointed with a small dark spine.

The diameter of an adult plant of this species can reach up to 1.5 m.

The color scheme varies from light green to gray-green. Inflorescences grow to a height of 20 cm and form about 30 tassels, with many light flowers.

Drawn (Attenuata)

An interesting representative of the agave family, which is able to grow even inside a small pot. The birthplace of this species is the city of Jalisco, which is located in the Mexican state of Guadalajara.

This species has a characteristic curved shape of the stem, resembling a swan neck, which grows in height about 1 m. It has a lush, smooth foliage no more than 60 cm long. It has a translucent color from gray to green-yellow shades. Before flowering begins, the stem is exposed and throws off the upper bushy part. The inflorescence is quite high and can reach up to 3 m in height.

Conclusion

Some types of agave are perfect for indoor keeping, provided that there will be plenty of sunshine in both winter and summer. With proper care, this plant will decorate any interior and will delight the eye for many decades.