All the information and photos in cactus art files are now available also in the new the Encyclopaedia of Succulents. We hope you find this new site informative and useful.

 Agave ghiesbreghtii (A juvenile specimen)
 

Description: Extensively offsetting medium sized agave, with neat succulent rosettes, up to 75 cm in diameter, 50 cm tall. In the garden it can become invasive, slowly forming small compact clumps with several offsets on short rhizomes growing close to the mother plant . Often used for hedge and animal barrier.
Leaves: few 30-40(-65) cm long, 7-10(-12) cm wide, rigid, lanceolate/deltoide, widest toward the middle, slightly guttered on the upper surface, stiff, flat, convex below and slightly incurved. The leaves are colourful dark green, bluish green or purplish green sometime lighter (usually with a hint of yellow stripe down the middle). The terminal spine is about 1,5-2(-49 cm long, subulate, slightly decurved and scarcely channelled. The margins is attractive, horny, brown-red that age to pale grey as the leaf ages, contrasting well with the dark green leaves and have straight or slightly down turned spines 5-15 mm long (including the margin), 1-4,5 cm apart, typically occurring only on the lower two-third of the leaf.
Stem: Acaulescent.
Flowers: Greenish-purple or greenish brown, densely set on the upper half of a 2,5-5 m tall unbranched spike. Pedicel 3-4 mm long.
Blooming season: Often in the spring.
Fruits: 2,2 cm x 1,5 cm long capsules.
Seeds: 4 x 3 mm oblong.

There are two recognized varieties:
A. ghiesbreghtii var. leguayana Characterized by longer leaves with closely spaced theeth.
A. ghiesbreghtii var. rohanii With compact concave blue-green leaves.
 

Note: It can be distinghuished by A. lophantha and A. lechugulla by its leaves that are wider in the centre of the blade and a little curved and for the small straight teeth and the uniform , not striated leaf surface. It differs from A. schidigera by its lack of filaments, and wider and fewer leaves.

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Scientific Name: Agave ghiesbreghtii Lemaire ex Jacobi
Hamburger Garten Blumenzeitung 20:545 1864

The specific epithet is sometimes listed incorrectly a "ghiesbrechtii"

Origin: State of Mexico in Mexico and Guatemala.

Habitat:  Grassy slopes of oak-Pinion woodland and in the mattoral xerofilo. The climate is an open one below the Tropic of Cancer with a protracted dry season from January to May.

Synonyms:

• Agave ghiesbreghtii C. Koch
• Agave leguayana
• Agave purpusorum Berger
• Agave roezliana Baker
• Agave huehueteca Standley & Steyermann
• Agave inghami

The leaves have a lot of color in them from bright green to purplish green (often a hint of yellow stripe down the middle) and lined with an edging of brown. The young plants are quite different from the adults, but are however very lovely too.
 

Cultivation: A. ghiesbreghtii is a  stunning specimen plant for containers or a well drained spot in the gardennoted as rare in cultivation.  It tend to be slow grower, but worth the effort.  Grow them in porous soil with adequate drainage. They do well in full sun or a lightly shaded area. Water thoroughly when soil is dry to the touch. In winter watering this plant can be done once every 1-2 months, there is no need to mist the leaves. It is theoretically hardy to -3° C,  particularly when dry but  it is best to avoid severe freezing temperatures. Heat Tolerance: Excellent

Propagation:  Relatively easy to propagate by seeds or by suckers (if available) Remove the basal suckers  in spring or summer and let the cuttings dry for a few days before inserting in compost.. only problem is the logistics of getting to the suckers - very sharp spines and suckers usually right up against, or underneath the mother plant.

Use: These striking plants are wonderful when used for accent or simply to provide some all year round foliage colour and often used in a pot as a patio plant, they make an eye-catching statement and along with other evergreen plants in pots, can be moved around to change the scenery or position to give more shelter.

 

All the information and photos in cactus art files are now available also in the new the Encyclopaedia of Succulents. We hope you find this new site informative and useful.