Agave MULTIFILIFERA - Many-threaded agave, Agave multifilifera.
Agave is a genus of evergreen perennial herbaceous plants in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae), comprising about 300 species distributed across the Caribbean islands and in arid regions of North, Central, and South America. No more than 50 species are common in cultivation.
Representatives of the genus form rosettes of fleshy leaves, often with prickly margins and sharp tips. Leaves can be broad or narrow, colored in gray-green, glaucous, or green shades, sometimes with variegated coloration. The stem is typically shortened. The plants are adapted to prolonged droughts, spreading broadly with powerful roots, absorbing moisture from surface soil layers and storing it in their leaves.
Flowering occurs at 15-20 years of age, after which the plant dies. A tall flower stalk emerges from the rosette of robust leaves, bearing an inflorescence at its top in the form of a panicle or raceme, usually yellow or cream-colored. The fruits are capsules with flat seeds. After the seeds mature, the aboveground parts of the mother plant die off, and offsets sprout from the rhizomes.
Agave multifilifera forms a dense rosette of narrow leaves covered with expressive white fibers. In older plants, a short trunk may appear. The species grows in Mexico in the states of Chihuahua, Durango, and Sinaloa at elevations of 1,300 to 2,000 meters (4,300-6,600 ft). The tall flower stalk is decorated with light green flowers with pink margins.