Buy Agave parrasana

Also Known As

Agave wislizenni
Cabbage Head Agave

Plant type

cactus / succulent

size

H: 1'-2'
W: 1'-2'

planting zones

7b-10b

2-4 inch bagged root ball | $19

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Fewer than 25 at Cistus Nursery

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Agave parrasana plant details

Agave parrasana is an evergreen cactus / succulent with blue foliage. In fall and summer yellow flowers emerge. Features glaucous texture. Grows well with sun and occasional - low water. Drought tolerant once established. Prefers to be dry in winter. Does well in gritty, lean, rocky and well-drained soil. A good option if you're seeking something heat tolerant and verticillium wilt resistant.

CHARACTERISTICS OF Agave parrasana

Plant type: cactus / succulent
Plant family: agavaceae, asparagaceae
Foliage: evergreen blue
Mature size: 1 FT - 2 FT - wide, 1 FT - 2 FT - tall
Flowers: yellow blooms in fall and summer
Uses: architectural, border plant, container plant, desert garden, infrequent-blooming, monocarpic, rock garden, rosette-forming, spiky, xeric, year round interest

GROWING CONDITIONS for Agave parrasana

USDA Zones: 7b - 10b
Sun exposure: sun
Watering frequency: occasional - low
Resistant to: deer and rabbit, heat and verticillium wilt
Soil needs: gritty, lean, rocky and well-drained

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Nursery contributed plant descriptions

This Mexican species is most easily identified by its thick triangular leaves, beautifully marked blue-green in color, arranged in a striking rosette and edged with equally thick brown and white spines. Plants form low dense mounds, each rosette eventually measuring 2 ft x 2 ft and, in time, sending up 12 ft branched flower spikes of warm yellow blushed apricot. Best in mineral soil, sharp drainage, full sun. This represents a high elevation collection at over 8,500 ft that has thus far withstood between 0 and 10F, USDA zone 7, with overhead protection from excess winter moisture. Stunning pot plant or container specimen.

By: Cistus Nursery

Zn 7. Overlapping leaves and large curved teeth

By: Little Prince of Oregon

Morning Sun to Partial Shade. Outdoor/Indoor. Light Green.

By: Moon - Sun Cactus & Koi Gardens

Agave parrasana is a beautiful species native to several mountain ranges in the state of Coahuila in north-central Mexico. Its habitats are remote, and perhaps this is why it is not often seen in cultivation despite its tolerance of freezing temperatures and its attractive compact heads of blue-green leaves. It typically puts out a modest number of offsets, but does not sucker prolifically like some other agaves. Like other agave species, A. parrasana is monocarpic. This means that each rosette of leaves flowers and produces seed only once at the end of its life cycle. Patience is required to witness its flowering, since plants often take 20 years or more to reach maturity. This species has the unusual habit of beginning to put out a flowering stalk in summer, then halting in the fall with the stalk part-way up, leaving a clump of thick bracts clustered at the tip to protect the developing flowers. After waiting out the winter, which can be quite cold in its mountain home, it resumes growth in spring. Floral branches emerge as the stalk lengthens, each ending in a cluster of red-tinged flowers which turn yellow as they open. The inflorescence normally attains a height of about 8 to 12 feet, not tall for an agave, but it is quite stout at its base. The flowering finishes nearly a year after the process began.