Agave polianthiflora
- Small leaves with white filifers
- Small habit ideal for pot culture
- Unique red flower
- Hardy
Agave polianthiflora, Tuberose-Flowering or Red-Flowering Agave, is an exceptionally beautiful small-growing Agave from the northern Mexican states of Sonora, Sinaloa and Chihuahua where it grows on barren rocky outcrops and amongst the oak and pine forests in the mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental at elevations between 1200-2000m.
It has a diminutive habit with a compact rosette of dark green leaves with white bud-print markings and many white filifers. It has no marginal spines but there are very minute toothed serrations near the base of each leaf. The terminal spine is relatively weak.
It is named for its strikingly unusual tubular flower which resembles the flower of Polianthes tuberosa except it is a bright pinkish-red in colour, as is the the stem which reaches up to 2m in height. This flower with its short tepal lobes and the proterogynous exsertion of its pistil is unique amongst all the Agaves. Agave polianthiflora rarely offsets but is more likely to do so after flowering.
Its small stature makes Agave polianthiflora ideal for pot culture and it looks highly ornamental in a sympathetic terracotta container. It is however, a hardy Agave and providing it has excellent drainage will survive outdoors in the UK. It needs to placed near the front of a garden near the path or ideally perched on a rock at a higher level where it is less likely to be lost in the overall planting or swamped by the foliage of larger species.
Agave polianthiflora was first described by Howard Gentry in 1972 in his book, 'The Agave Family in Sonora'. His notes indicate he first collected it in the Sierra de Majalca mountain range on June 24 1936 at an altitude of around 1800m. This was at a time when Gentry was working on his monumental 'Rio Mayo Plants', a work which although centred on Sonora also included trips to the ridge tops of the Sierra Madre Occidental in neighbouring Chihuahua.
A choice collector's Agave, rarely available. Recommended.
Additional Information
Order | Asparagales |
---|---|
Family | Asparagaceae |
Sub-Family | Agavoideae |
Geographical Origin | Northern Mexico: Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua |
Cultivation | Full sun. Dry. A very free draining alkaline substrate with additional sand, grit and shingle |
Eventual Height | 10-15cm. Flower spike to 2m |
Eventual Spread | 20-30cm |
Hardiness | Down to about -15C in well-drained substrate. Cover with fleece. Its small size means making a rain-shelter is relatively easy. An upturned plastic bottle is ideal while it is still small. If grown in a container it can be brought indoors if you get worri |
![content image content image](https://www.tropicalbritain.co.uk/pub/static/version1711470526/frontend/Smartwave/porto/en_GB/img/shipping.png)
Free DELIVERY
ON ALL ORDERS OVER £99THIS OFFER IS VALID ON ALL OUR STORE ITEMS.
![Hesperoyucca whipplei](https://www.tropicalbritain.co.uk/pub/media/catalog/product/cache/2a4cce87881041ab4ea24566e8da1fcb/h/e/hesperoyucca_whipplei-cont-lvl-bklt-colenh-decol2-contenh-deep-dark-web-watermark_c.jpg)
![Yucca baccata](https://www.tropicalbritain.co.uk/pub/media/catalog/product/cache/2a4cce87881041ab4ea24566e8da1fcb/y/u/yucca_baccata_-_copyright_-_crop-cont-lvl-bklt-contenh-deep-dark-web-watermark_c.jpg)
THE PLANTS
- Smaller-Growing Succulents
- Aeonium
- Agave
- Agave americana
- Agave amica
- Agave chrysantha
- Agave cupreata
- Agave deserti
- Agave filifera
- Agave gentryi
- Agave gomezpompae
- Agave havardiana
- Agave horrida ssp horrida
- Agave lechuguilla
- Agave mitis var mitis
- Agave montana
- Agave palmeri
- Agave parryi
- Agave polianthiflora
- Agave striata
- Agave stricta Rubra
- Agave toumeyana
- Agave univittata
- Agave utahensis
- Agave victoriae-reginae - Huasteca Canyon
- Aloe
- Beschorneria
- Bryophyllum
- Dasylirion
- Furcraea
- Hesperaloe
- Hesperoyucca
- Nolina
- Yucca
- Astrophytum
- Austrocylindropuntia
- Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis
- Cereus
- Chamaecereus silvestrii
- Cleistocactus
- Cumulopuntia
- Cylindropuntia
- Echinocereus
- Echinopsis
- Epiphyllum
- Ferocactus
- Gymnocalycium
- Hatiora
- Kroenleinia grusonii
- Lophocereus
- Maihuenia
- Mammillaria
- Matucana
- Myrtillocactus geometrizans
- Opuntia
- Opuntia arenaria SB964
- Opuntia atrispina
- Opuntia basilaris
- Opuntia chisosensis SB992 Brewster Co, TX
- Opuntia cymochila - Brewster Co, TX
- Opuntia engelmannii var. sandia
- Opuntia erinacea
- Opuntia fragilis
- Opuntia humifusa
- Opuntia lindheimeri - Beeville, TX
- Opuntia phaeacantha
- Opuntia pottsii var. nova DJF1441 SW Albuquerque, NM
- Opuntia robusta
- Opuntia sandiana
- Opuntia sanguinicola
- Opuntia stricta
- Opuntia strigil
- Opuntia trichophora
- Oroya peruviana
- Parodia
- Polaskia
- Rhipsalis
- Schlumbergera
- Stenocactus
- Stetsonia
- Tephrocactus
- Alocasia
- Amorphophallus
- Arisaema
- Arum
- Calla
- Caladium
- Colocasia
- Dracunculus
- Monstera
- Helicodiceros muscivorus
- Philodendron
- Pinellia
- Remusatia
- Sauromatum
- Spathantheum
- Typhonium
- Xanthosoma
- Zantedeschia