About
Find Nurseries
Design & Inspiration
California Garden Planner
Bay Area Garden Planner (NEW)
Planting Guide
Butterflies
My Plant Lists
Contact Us
Sign In
Donate
Advanced Search
Contact Us
Sign In
Donate
Home
Advanced Search
Map Locator
View Settings
Nurseries Carrying this Plant
Add Current Plant To List
Edit Current Plant
Show all Photos
About Calscape
Nurseries
California Garden Planner
Bay Area Garden Planner (NEW)
Planting Guide
Butterflies
My Plant Lists
Contact Calscape
Donate
Tap map to see plants native to location
Print Plant Signs
Print Plant Labels
Export To Excel
Export To Excel (Detailed)
Order by Popularity
Order by Common Name
Order by Scientific Name
Order by # of Butterflies Hosted
Show nursery cultivars
Hide nursery cultivars
Show plants not in nurseries
Hide plants not in nurseries
Grid view
Text view
Home
>
All plants
for California
>
Agave deserti
|
Previous
Next
Loading....
Processing the request......
Desert Agave
( Agave deserti )
Agave deserti
More Photos at CalPhotos
More Info at Jepson eFlora
Calflora
Click on blue squares to see occurrence records.
<< Plant species
Zoom To My Address
Zoom To California
Estimated Plant Range (
?
)
occurrences >>
All Occurrence Records
20 Nurseries Carry This Plant
Add to My Plant List
About Desert Agave (Agave deserti)
20 Nurseries Carry This Plant
Add to My Plant List
Native to the desert regions of Southern California, Arizona, and Baja California, Desert Agave (
Agave deserti
) is an iconic plant of the Southwestern landscape. Its low water needs also make it an ideal plant for the waterwise garden.
Desert Agave grows in clusters. The individual plants are rosette-shaped, with long gray-green leaves that have sharp spines at the tips and along the edges. For safety, it is best to plant it away from walkways and other high-traffic areas. Desert Agave is a slow-growing plant. At full maturity, it will send up very tall spikes of yellow flowers. The blooms attract hummingbirds and insects. Individual plants die after blooming, but other plants in the cluster will continue to grow.
Plant Desert Agave in dry, rocky, well-draining soil. It is highly drought adapted, with minimal water needs. It is both heat and cold tolerant, although some species can be sensitive to frost.
Miller, G.O. (2008). Landscaping with Native Plants of Southern California. Voyageur Press,
Plant Description
Plant Type
Shrub, Succulent
Size
1 - 19.7 ft tall
3 ft wide
Growth Rate
Slow
Dormancy
Evergreen
Flower Color
Yellow
Flowering Season
Spring, Summer
Wildlife Supported
When in bloom, hummingbirds and other nectar-loving birds are attracted to the masses of flowers. This species is also host plant to the Bauer's Giant Skipper and California Giant Skipper butterflies.
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 1
confirmed
, 1
likely
* )
SHOW ALL
California Giant-Skipper
Agathymus stephensi
Agathymus stephensi
*
Mojave Giant-Skipper
Agathymus alliae
Agathymus alliae
Landscaping Information
Sun
Full Sun
Moisture
Very Low, Low
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established
Nurseries
Carried by 20
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 15° F
Soil Drainage
Fast
Soil Description
Typically decomposed granite. Tolerates Sodic Soil. Soil PH: 7.0 - 8.0
Common uses
Deer Resistant, Butterfly Gardens
Companion Plants
Use in a
Desert
garden w
It
h
Desert Lavender
(
Condea emoryi
),
Desert Willow
(
Chilopsis linearis
), California
Fan Palm
(
Washingtonia filifera
),
Creosote Bush
(
Larrea tridentata
),
Ocotillo
(
Fouquieria splendens
),
Jojoba
(
Simmondsia chinensis
),
Blue Paloverde
(
Parkinsonia florida
), Wh
It
e
Bursage
(
Ambrosia dumosa
),
Chuparosa
(
Justicia californica
), Barrel Cactus (
Ferocactus cylindraceus
),
Desert Agave
(
Agave deserti
), Br
It
tlebush (
Encelia farinosa
), Indigo Bush (
Psorothamnus sp.
),
Smoke Tree
(
Psorothamnus spinosus
),
Apricot Mallow
(
Sphaeralcea ambigua
), Opuntia spp, numerous annual wildflowers
Maintenance
Agaves are sometimes infested by a moth whose larva can kill the plant. However, Agave deserti is less often affected than other species such as Agave americana.
Propagation
?
For propagating by seed: No treatment. Pups can be removed from the base of the mother plant (with caution) and relocated.
Sunset Zones
?
3, 7, 8*, 9*, 10*, 11, 12*, 13, 14*, 15, 16, 18, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22, 23
Natural Setting
Site Type
Rocky slopes, canyons, desert washes
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 2.6" - 25.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.33" - 2.88", Coldest Month: 39.5" - 59.0", Hottest Month: 65.5" - 88.0", Humidity: 1.91" - 38.83", Elevation: -42" - 6407"
Alternative Names
Common Names
: Maguey De Desierto
Print Plant Sign
Print Plant Label
Back
Print
Back
Print
Desert Agave
Agave deserti
Sources include:
Wikipedia
. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the
California Consortia of Herbaria
, Sunset information provided by
Jepson Flora Project
. Propogation from seed information provided by the
Santa Barbara Botanical Garden
from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include
CalPhotos
,
Wikimedia Commons
, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include
Calflora
,
CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online
,
Jepson Flora Project
,
Las Pilitas
,
Theodore Payne
,
Tree of Life
,
The Xerces Society
, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from
PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.
Links:
Jepson eFlora Taxon Page
CalPhotos
Wikipedia
Calflora
Sign in to your Calscape Account
X
Once signed in, you'll be able to access any previously saved plant lists or create new ones.
Email Address
Password
Sign In