Thread Agave

Description

Agave filifera, the thread agave, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to Central Mexico from Querétaro to Mexico State. It is a small or medium-sized succulent plant that forms stemless rosette up to 3 feet (90 cm) across and up to 2 feet (60 cm) tall. The leaves are dark green to a bronzish-green in color and have very ornamental white bud imprints. The flower stalk is up to 11.5 feet (3,5 m) tall and is densely loaded with yellowish-green to dark purple flowers up to 2 inches (5 cm) long. Flowers appear in autumn and winter. This evergreen succulent perennial requires heated indoor culture during winter in temperate regions, though it may be placed outside during summer months. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. In general, Agave do not need to be repotted every year. Most of the species commonly found in cultivation grow very slowly and will take a long time to outgrow their pot. It is also best to handle the Agave as little as possible, since they do not like to be disturbed. Because the species is widespread and appears to have a stable population, it is not considered by the IUCN to be threatened. Agave is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas, although some Agave species are also native to tropical areas of South America. The genus Agave (from the Ancient Greek αγαυή, agauê) is primarily known for its succulent and xerophytic species that typically form large rosettes of strong, fleshy leaves. Agave now includes species formerly placed in a number of other genera, such as Manfreda, ×Mangave, Polianthes and Prochnyanthes. Many plants in this genus may be considered perennial, because they require several to many years to mature and flower. However, most Agave species are more accurately described as monocarpic rosettes or multiannuals, since each individual rosette flowers only once and then dies; a small number of Agave species are polycarpic. Maguey flowers are considered edible in many indigenous culinary traditions of Mesoamerica. Along with plants from the closely related genera Yucca, Hesperoyucca, and Hesperaloe, various Agave species are popular ornamental plants in hot, dry climates, as they require very little supplemental water to survive. Most Agave species grow very slowly. Some Agave species are known by the common name "century plant".