Agave Kichijokan

Agave Kichijokan is one of the most decorative and sought-after forms of Parry's Agave. Discovered in 1982 in a small botanical station in Mexico, it resembles a large artichoke or a bluish-grey ball from a distance, due to its broad and short leaves, ending in a large reddish twisted spine. The truncata variety is a plant for succulent plant enthusiasts, whose cultivation in open ground is reserved for mild climates. However, its modest size allows it to be grown in pots in sheltered locations from cold and humidity elsewhere.

Originating from a small region located in the heart of Mexico, it is part of those agaves recently discovered in nature and multiplied in cultivation by enthusiasts always looking for exotic plants capable of surviving our cold and humid winters. Due to its rarity, it seems to be a form directly derived from Agave parryi. This slow-growing species is adapted to semi-desert climates, which are very hot in summer, and mild and more humid in winter. It belongs to the Asparagaceae family (formerly Agavaceae), just like yuccas. This perennial succulent herbaceous plant has rhizomes capable of producing suckers, but it is almost devoid of above-ground stems. It consists of a few broad leaves, showing a widely rounded top. The black to reddish-black terminal spine is often twisted, and looks as though it has been glued to the end of the leaf. The leaf blades are imbricate like slates on a roof, forming a rosette 40cm (16in) high and 60cm (24n) wide at maturity. Smooth, rigid and very thick, light bluish-grey in colour, the leaves are bordered by spines. When a rosette is mature, after many years, it produces a flowering stalk reaching 1 to 1.25m (3 to 4ft) in height. Horizontally branched, it bears flat and spherical panicles composed of multiple small yellow-green flowers. The semelparous rosette dies after flowering, which lasts several months. One of the characteristics of this form is that it produces few peripheral rosettes to ensure its perpetuity.

In mild climates, this collectible agave will find its place in a large rockery or at the edges of a dry garden, where its remarkable silhouette will stand out admirably in a minimalist decor with some wild grasses like Stipa ichu or Stipa gigantea. It can be planted with the Barbary Fig, giant fennel, and quite hardy candle cacti (Cleistocactus strausii, Cylindropuntia imbricata), which all equally undemanding plants. This agave can also be cultivated in a pot on a terrace, among a collection of cacti, by carefully choosing the sunniest spot, protected from winter rains, to recreate a decor inspired by gardens and patios that flourish at the end of the world.

Agave is an edible plant, used in Mexico to make mescal, an alcoholic beverage obtained by fermenting its juice rich in sugars. It is also used in traditional medicine in Mexico, Brazil, and India, and has proven antifungal properties. Very attractive to bees and nectar-seeking insects, the inflorescences attract many pollinators.