Agave potatorum

Agave potatorum, the Verschaffelt agave, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae. A smallish and attractive succulent perennial, it is native to partial desert areas of Mexico from Puebla south to Oaxaca.

Agave potatorum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Agavoideae
Genus: Agave
Species:
A. potatorum
Binomial name
Agave potatorum
Synonyms[2]
  • Agave amoena Lem. ex Jacobi
  • Agave auricantha Baker
  • Agave elegans Salm-Dyck
  • Agave latifolia Karw. ex Salm-Dyck
  • Agave pulchra Salm-Dyck
  • Agave quadrata Lem.
  • Agave saundersii Hook.f.
  • Agave schnittspahnii Jacobi
  • Agave scolymus Karw. ex Salm-Dyck
  • Agave verschaffeltii Lem. ex Jacobi
  • Agave verschaffeltii Lem.

The Latin specific epithet potatorum refers to drinking and brewing.[3]

This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.[4]

Description

Agave potatorum grows as a basal rosette of between 30–80 flat spatulate leaves of up to 1 foot in length and edge fringe of short, sharp, dark spines and ending in a needle of up to 1.6 inches long. The leaves are pale, silvery white, with the flesh coloured green fading lilac to pink at the tips. The flower spike can be 10–20 feet long when fully developed and bears pale green and yellow flowers.

References
  1. "Agave potatorum Zucc". International Plant Names Index. 22 October 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  2. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species".
  3. Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for Gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 184533731X.
  4. "Agave potatorum (Verschaffelt agave)". Royal Horticultural Society. 1994. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  • The Complete Encyclopedia of Succulents by Zdenek Jezek and Libor Kunte
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