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Form/flower

Agavaceae

One of the most striking and ornamental agaves, Agave parryi has a beautiful, compact rosette of wide blue-gray leaves with a long dark spine at the tip and dark brown teeth on the margins. It offsets freely, assuring more plants to replace the original plant once it has flowered. The flowers begin as red or pink buds, opening to a bright yellow. Like all agaves, A. parryi is extremely drought tolerant. Although it will grow larger with supplemental water, its roots need to be in well-drained soil, and will rot if kept wet. Several varieties are offered in the trade, including one with smaller leaves, var. truncata. Plants will be most compact in full sun, but they can tolerate light shade. It is hardy to about 10-15 degrees F.

Plant Habit or Use: small shrub

Exposure: sun
partial sun

Flower Color: yellow with pink or reddish buds

Blooming Period: summer

Fruit Characteristics: pod

Height: to 3 feet

Width: to 3 feet

Plant Character: evergreen

Heat Tolerance: very high

Water Requirements:

Soil Requirements: adaptable

USDA Hardiness Zone: 8

Additional Comments: