Agave ovatifolia

Agave ovatifolia, much less known than its cousin Agave americana, nevertheless surpasses it in hardiness and rivals its beauty with its large rosettes. This exceptional species forms a giant rosette, wider than it is tall, composed of broad and fleshy, dentate leaves. The leaves are grey-blue, but are covered with a bloom that makes them look white. Astonishing in a minimalist setting, spectacular against a backdrop of rocks and blue sky, it naturally structures exotic, contemporary, and wild settings. It can be cultivated in poor, rocky or sandy soil, in full sun.

Native to the mountain range of the Sierra Madre Oriental, an extension of the Rocky Mountains in New Mexico and Texas, Agave ovatifolia thrives in the scree slopes that descend from the peaks of Mexico, up to an altitude of 2100m (6890ft). It belongs to the Asparagaceae family (formerly Agavaceae). This species is one of the most tolerant to cold and wet conditions. Extremely decorative, Agave ovatifolia is above all a botanical species adapted to cold and semi-desert climates. This perennial succulent plant has rhizomes capable of producing suckers, but it is almost devoid of aboveground stems. It consists of about 50 rosette leaves, 1m (3ft) tall and 2m (7ft) wide at maturity. The broad and lanceolate leaves are smooth, rigid, and very thick. They are grey-green to almost white when ripe, and bordered with grey to brown spines at the tip. The end of each leaf is equipped with a sharp spine. When a rosette reaches the venerable age of 15 to 20 years, or even more, it produces a flowering stem reaching a height of 1.5 to 2m (5ft to 7ft). Horizontally branched, it bears flattened and spherical panicles, 7 to 10cm (3 to 4in) wide, composed of a myriad of small yellow-green flowers. Considered semelparous, the plant dies after flowering, which lasts several months, having taken care to produce a few small peripheral rosettes to ensure its perpetuation.

This agave is hardy down to -20°C (-4°F). It will find its place in a large rock garden or in a dry garden. Its monumental silhouette will stand out admirably against a mineral backdrop, populated by a few grasses, for a minimalist scene. It can be planted with prickly pear, giant fennel, and fairly hardy cacti (Cleistocactus strausii, Cylindropuntia imbricata), as well as viper's bugloss from the Canary Islands in mild climates. This species, which produces very few suckers, is not invasive.

The 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. The inflorescences are very attractive to many pollinating insects.