AGAVE POTATORUM

Description: Agave potatorum is a small Agave, growing solitary or slowly clumping, that forms an compact to open symmetrical succulent rosette. It is a very polymorphic species with a large range of variability from which many cultivated varieties have been derived. Rosettes may be anywhere between 10 and 90 cm in diameter when fully grown-up. Leaves may be few or many, variable in colour from green to yellowish green to nearly white glaucous grey or bluish. Generally they are ovate or short lanceolate, but very variable. Altogether, these variations illustrate that A. potatorum is a freely seeding outbreeding complex, that has been widely assorted by circumstances of habitat, changing climates over a long period of time, and man’s interventions.
Derivation of specific name: The specific name “potatorum” has nothing to do with potatoes, it comes from the genitive of the Latin word “potator” meaning ‘of the drinkers’ in reference to the use of this plant in making alcoholic beverages.
Stem: Usually stemless or very short stemmed.
Leaves: 30 to 80 per rosette, softly fleshy but rather rigid, thickened and narrowed toward the base, ovate, oblong, or short lanceolate, but very variable in shape, size and colour. They are mostly 9-18 cm broad and 20-40 cm long and green, blue-grey to light silvery-grey. They are slightly deflexed back near the tips that terminate in a distinctive, often twisted or slightly wavy, reddish, dark brown spine up to 2,5 long. The short marginal spines are often on pronounced tubercle-like prominences often dramatically so, with distinct teats. The teeth are usually rusty or yellowish coloured 0,6 to 1,3 mm long, 0,5 to2,5 cm apart. The leaves also have noticeable showy bud-imprints.

Flowers: The long spikes may by either a raceme or a panicle and rise up to 3 to 6 m bearing light green flowers tinged with red and subtended with red bracts.

Notes: Agave potatorum is included in the group Hiemiflorae. As a general rule, plants in this group have relatively short lateral branches on the inflorescence and tight ball-like clusters of flowers. They typically are winter-flowering, although Agave potatorum is a little earlier than most, with a September-to-December peak flowering time.