Agave APPLANATA

Agave APPLANATA - Applanate agave, Flat agave, Agave applanata.

Agave is a genus of evergreen perennial herbaceous plants in the Asparagus family (Asparagaceae), comprising about 300 species distributed across the Caribbean islands and arid regions of North, Central, and South America. In cultivation, no more than 50 species are widespread.

Members of the genus form rosettes of fleshy leaves, often with prickly margins and sharp tips. The leaves can be broad or narrow, colored in gray-green, glaucous, or green shades, sometimes with variegated coloration. The stem is generally shortened. The plants are adapted to prolonged droughts, spreading widely with powerful roots, absorbing moisture from the surface layers of the soil, and storing it in their leaves.

Flowering occurs at 15–20 years of age, after which the plant dies. A tall peduncle emerges from the rosette of powerful leaves, atop which an inflorescence in the form of a panicle or raceme forms, usually yellow or cream-colored. The fruits are capsules with flat seeds. After the seeds ripen, the above-ground parts of the mother plant die off, and daughter offshoots grow from the rhizomes.

Flat agave is a medium-sized plant, with a rosette that is typically solitary or with a few offshoots, featuring very rigid light-blue leaves and dark spines. The rosette is very dense, 0.5–1 m (1.6–3.3 ft) in height and 1–2 m (3.3–6.6 ft) in diameter. In container culture, it does not reach such dimensions.

The leaves are numerous, rigid, straight, linear-lanceolate, pointed, usually broad at the base, silvery glaucous-gray in color, 7–10 cm (2.8–3.9 in) wide and up to 40–60 cm (16–24 in) long or more. Mature leaves are longer than young ones. The leaf blade has toothed margins along which stick out cornified dark brown or black spines 8–15 mm (0.3–0.6 in) long, spaced 4–6 cm (1.6–2.4 in) apart. The spines are almost straight or curved downward, very rigid, sharp, and prickly. The terminal spine is rigid, flat or with a broad groove, about 3–7 cm (1.2–2.8 in) long, dark red or brown, turning gray with age.

The flower shoot reaches up to 5–6 m (16–20 ft) in height, with up to three hundred bright yellow flowers gathered in a terminal panicle inflorescence. The flowers are 55–80 mm (2.2–3.1 in) long, the ovary is greenish, the floral tube is 15–22 mm (0.6–0.9 in) long, the petals are yellow, of unequal length, with the outer petals being 15–22 mm (0.6–0.9 in) long. The flowers attract hummingbirds, various insects, and even bats.

Seeds are soaked for 2–3 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or fungicide with the addition of stimulants (SUPERthrive, HB-101, Aminozol, Epin, or Zircon), then sown to a depth of 0.5–1 cm (0.2–0.4 in) into a light, loose substrate consisting of sand, peat, and perlite, and covered with a layer of soil. The sowing is moistened with a spray bottle, placed in a mini-greenhouse or covered with film, and germinated in light, but not direct sun, at a temperature of 22–26 °C (72–79 °F). Seedlings require ventilation. Overwatering and drying out of the sowings must be avoided.

Seedlings appear within 15–25 days. The maximum germination period can exceed 40 days. After 2–3 true leaves appear, pricking out is performed into individual 6 cm (2.4 in) pots with a light substrate and drainage, and after a year into 8–9 cm (3.1–3.5 in) pots. Adult specimens are repotted once every 2–3 years.

© Greeniverse. All rights reserved.

The plant can be grown indoors with good lighting. Placement on south- or southwest-facing windowsills with maximum light access is preferred. In summer, keeping it on a balcony or in the garden with protection from rain is possible. Large specimens are kept in a cool, bright, dry room in winter. A temperature of 20–28 °C (68–82 °F) is maintained in summer and not below 10 °C (50 °F) in winter.

Watering is carried out moderately, only after the soil has dried out. In winter, the watering frequency is reduced. Waterlogging or stagnation of water at the roots is not allowed. During the active growth period from March to August, specialized fertilizers for cacti and succulents with low nitrogen content are applied once every 4–6 weeks.

A loose, well-draining substrate with an admixture of sand, perlite, and fine crushed stone is used. Repotting is carried out once every 2–3 years or as necessary. The root collar is not buried, and drainage is mandatory.

Pruning or shaping is not required. Propagation is carried out by seeds, offsets, and rhizome cuttings separated in spring or summer.