PlantPeers
Back to Catalog
No image available
Asparagaceae FAMILY

Agave variegata

Agave variegata

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

Many Agave species have strong, sharp spines on the leaves and leaf tips. In theory at least, the flowers, nectar, immature flowering stem and the centre of the rosette of all Agave species is edible and, with proper preparation, can provide a sweet, tasty foodstuff. Some species, however, contain relatively high levels of saponins (which makes them taste bitter) and some other compounds which can cause bellyache, and so these would only be eaten in times of desperation. In addition, many people may find these foods to be strongly laxative the first few times they eat them[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

Agave variegata has a wide range from the warm temperate regions of southern Texas, along the east of Mexico as far south as the tropical climate of Veracruz and Puebla. Agave species generally require a sunny position, succeeding in most soils of medium-fertility so long as they are very well-drained. Most species are undemanding as to the soil pH, though those found in the wild on limestone soils will grow better in neutral to alkaline conditions. Plants are generally very tolerant of dry conditions and of drought[2]. The plant is grown as an ornamental. It produces a strikingly large flower stalk, but the flowers emit a foul odour[3].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in a light position, mid spring in a warm greenhouse. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 15 - 20°c[4, 2]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots of well-drained soil when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a sunny position in the greenhouse until they are at least 15cm tall. Plant out at the beginning of the growing season, and give some protection from the cold for at least their first few winters[PFAF]. Offsets and suckers can be potted up at any time they are available. Keep in a warm greenhouse until they are well established[2]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Agave+variegata>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]The Agaves of Baja California — Gentry H.S. · California Academy of Sciences; San Francisco · 1978 · ISBN 0068-5461 ↩︎
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  3. [3]Huaco and Amole: A Survey of the Uses of Manfreda and Prochnyanthes — Verhoek S. · 1978 · http://www.jstor.org/stable/4253919 ↩︎
  4. [4]Growing from Seed. Volume 1. — Rice. G. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1987 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
  5. [5]Agave Agavaceae — Thiede J. · Springer Nature · 2020 · https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-56486-8_111 ↩︎
  6. [6]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
  7. [7]Sistemática del género Manfreda Salisb. (Agavaceae) — Castillejos-Cruz C. · Texcoco (MX): Colegio de Postgraduados, Campus Montecillo · 2009 ↩︎An unpublished Ph.D. thesis.
  8. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎