Agave desmetiana Variegata

Agave desmetiana 'Variegata' is a beautiful variegated form of the smooth agave, so named because of its spineless leaves. It is an ornamental variety of medium size, well adapted to sheltered rockeries on the Mediterranean coast. It forms a rosette of succulent leaves gracefully folded into a gutter, finely edged in yellow on a green background. They are equipped with a long yellow terminal spine that turns reddish-brown. A mature rosette will produce flowering stalks bearing bright pale-yellow flowers. This perennial ensures its perpetuity by suckering in the form of daughter rosettes. Not very hardy, it is an exceptional plant for dry and warm gardens. Plant it with other succulents and exotic plants in a rocky setting.

Discovered in Mexico (Sinaloa, Veracruz), possibly resulting from hybridisation, Agave desmetiana 'Variegata' or Variegated De Smet Agave has great ornamental value. It belongs to the Asparagaceae family (formerly Agavaceae), just like Yuccas or tuberose. This perennial succulent has rhizomes capable of producing numerous suckers, especially as flowering approaches, but it is almost devoid of aerial stems. This agave, which grows rather quickly, forms a beautiful rosette reaching about 80cm (32in) in all directions. It is composed of many succulent lanceolate leaves, 10cm (4in) wide. The leaves are arched, linear, not very thick, and folded along the main vein. They are green, egded with yellow, and covered in a white bloom. Each leaf is equipped with a 3cm (1in) long terminal spine. The intermediate leaves are sometimes slightly twisted or S-shaped. When a rosette reaches the age of reproduction, it produces a flowering stalk reaching 2m (7ft) in height. This stalk bears numerous branches. The branches bear flat and spherical panicles, composed of a myriad of small pale-yellow tubular flowers. The rosette, called semelparous, dies after flowering, which lasts several months, taking care to produce many small rosettes near the base of the mother plant to ensure its perpetuity.

In mild climates, Agave desmetiana 'Variegata' will find its place in a large rockery, a slope, or in a raised bed whose soil has been enriched with gravel or coarse sand. It can be planted with frost-resistant prickly pears such as Opuntia humifusa 'Millevaches', giant fennel, fairly hardy candle cacti (Cleistocactus strausii, Cylindropuntia imbricata), and ground-covering plants such as dwarf mugworts, which are all equally undemanding plants. Gardeners in colder regions can grow it in full sun in a very large pot on a terrace, carefully choosing the most sheltered spot, to recreate a setting inspired by gardens from the edge of the world.

Agave is an edible plant, used in Mexico to make mescal, an alcoholic beverage obtained by fermenting its sugar-rich juice. It is also used in traditional medicine in Mexico, Brazil, and India for its supposed anti-fungal properties. Very rich in nectar, the inflorescences attract many pollinating insects.