Photo of Agave gentryi 'Jaws' foliage by Karl Gercens III

Photo by Karl Gercens III

Used with permission, all rights reserved

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Agave gentryi 'Jaws'

Plant type

cactus / succulent

size

  • H: 2'-4'
  • W: 3'-6'

planting zones

  • 7b-10b

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Agave gentryi 'Jaws' plant details

Agave gentryi 'Jaws' is an evergreen cactus / succulent with blue and green foliage. In summer yellow flowers emerge. Grows well with sun - dappled shade and occasional - low water. Drought tolerant once established. Prefers to be dry in winter, dry when dormant. 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 gentryi 'Jaws'

Plant type: cactus / succulent
Plant family: agavaceae, asparagaceae
Foliage: evergreen blue and green
Mature size: 3 FT - 6 FT - wide, 2 FT - 4 FT - tall
Flowers: yellow blooms in summer
Uses: architectural, container plant, desert garden, infrequent-blooming, monocarpic, rock garden, rosette-forming, spiky, xeric, year-round-interest

GROWING CONDITIONS for Agave gentryi 'Jaws'

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

Nursery contributed plant descriptions

Zn 7. Apple green leaves. Shark tooth spines.
This stunning Yucca Do Nursery selection is a highly sought-after agave selection. 'Jaws' can grow to four feet tall by eight feet wide in warmer climates but will remain much smaller in containers. The glossy dark green rosette is composed of long leaves with exceptionally largely toothed edges with short red teeth, menacingly resembling a shark's mouth. Hardy on the West Coast in good drainage and out of the rain. Bring inside in winter in colder climates.
A dark green agave so thick and rubbery that it almost looks fake, with dramatic teeth on the leaf margins that give it its name.Spectacular when combined with ominous music and sprinkled half-hidden in the garden where it can consume unsuspecting visitors. Not even close to hardy for us, but like all agaves, incredibly easy to overwinter. Just bring it inside, give it a little light, and stop watering until spring. You get a wonderful, sculptural houseplant for the winter, and your kids will finally learn to stop rough housing when they get accidentally impaled on one of the spikes.
Sun or Shade. Outdoor. Yellow.

By: Moon - Sun Cactus & Koi Gardens

From an intriguing group in an even more intriguing part of the world, northeastern Mexico's Sierra La Peña, a floristically rich part of the world. Three agaves inhabit the upper slopes from 8-9,000 ft, this one now being settled on the species A. gentryi. Beautiful gray-green rosettes of sharply pointed leaves with jagged serrations and embossed impressions of the older leaves on each emerging new. This selection was made by the Yucca Do boys in the early 1990s and has been very slow to offset. To about 24-36" or more eventually, this selection, found amid pines and oaks in light shade on rubbly limestone outcrops, has taken a myriad of garden conditions. Quite happy in dappled shade but beware of wet leaves sitting in the crown in winter. It is exquisitely beautiful for the deeply indented leaf margins and double, reddish teeth. So far, unharmed in upper USDA zone 7 winters.
Introduced by Yuccado Nursery from a high elevation (8000') population in Mexico's Sierra Madre Oriental, this highly toothed selection makes a gorgeous container plant. Hardy in mild gardens but not in a real winter. Beautiful tooth imprints on the new leaves. Great drainage, winter wet bad.
Dark green concave leaves are heavily toothed with teeth the color of dried blood. Keep small pets and children at a safe distance. 3' x 3'
This agave makes a superb container plant in cooler climates. Its biggest need is for a very fast draining soil.

Gardening facts about Agave gentryi 'Jaws' plant

How to Grow Agave gentryi 'Jaws'

  • Sun Exposure

    • sun - dappled shade
  • Soil Needs

    • lean
    • well-drained
    • rocky
    • gritty
  • Water Needs

    • occasional - drought tolerant
  • Water Needs

    • dry in winter
  • Water Needs

    • dry when dormant
  • Special Situation

    • heat tolerant
    • verticillium wilt resistant

Features

  • Foliage Color

    • green
    • blue
  • Wildlife

    • deer resistant
    • rabbit resistant
  • Flower Color

    • yellow
  • Foliage Season

    • evergreen
  • Flower Season

    • summer
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