''Agave macroacantha'', the black-spined agave or large-thorned agave, is a species of succulent flowering plant in the family

Asparagaceae Asparagaceae, known as the asparagus family, is a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots. The family name is based on the edible garden asparagus, ''Asparagus officinalis''. Those who live in the temperate c ...

naturally occurring in Oaxaca and also near the town of Tehuacan in the State of

Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...

, Mexico.

Description

''Agave macroacantha'' produces a medium-sized leaf rosette that can be basal or can grow on a very short stem. Leaves are

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

, greyish green and up to 1.8 feet long at a maximum, ending in sharp black spines that are up to 1.2 inches long at the tips. Flowers are small, grey and red, growing in bunches on sturdy stems of up to 3 m (10 feet) in height.

Cultivation

The plant prefers a dry, sunny and hot location for summer and from early autumn onwards a cooler, well-lit space. It likes regular watering in summer and only minimum watering in winter, and will fare well in a large pot with sparse, gravelly soil.Cactus Art Nursery, Agave macroacantha viridis
/ref> In the UK this plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

References

*The Complete Encyclopedia of Succulents by Zdenek Jezek and Libor Kunte {{Taxonbar, from=Q391797 macroacantha Endemic flora of Mexico Flora of Oaxaca Flora of Puebla Garden plants of North America Drought-tolerant plants