Agave macroacantha

Agave macroacantha

Family: Asparagaceae

Common name: Black-spined Agave.

Native to Mexico. It is a medium sized agave that forms dense clumps to 60 cm tall by 1.5 m wide composed of very regular leaf rosettes of a bluish grey color that can be basal or can grow on a very short stem. Leaves are succulent, narrow sword-shaped blue-grey or greyish green and up to 35 cm long at a maximum, ending in sharp, contrasting, black spines at the tips.

Sowing instructions: Use a gritty mix of peat, coco-fiber, vermiculite and perlite, sand or similar media. Fill shallowly in trays or pots and sow the seeds on the surface. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil, about as thick as the seeds are. Label with species name and date. Do not cover with plastic or glass. Place trays or pots at temperatures between 25 and 30°C (75 to 90°F) in a brightly lit spot but out of full sun and keep slightly damp but never wet. Seeds will sprout reliably after a few days or weeks.

Locality: Ex Hort. Harvest: March 2025