Careful! Gardening can be Dangerous

Agave parryi var. truncata 'Huntington'                                                                                                        S. Reeve

I knew it was true love when my boyfriend risked the sharp spines of Agave parryi var. truncata in an attempt to liberate a small pup growing alongside the mother plant. The final score was Dave-2, Agave-1. The agave drew blood but Dave did not give up, and I soon claimed my prize.

At the time, I did not know the beautiful agave, but I soon learned this agave was a form of Agave parryi from Mexico, called 'truncata'. Agave parryi has a large range and within the geographical area, there are different forms of the plant. There are two main subspecies, Agave parryi ssp. neomexicana, and Agave parryi ssp. parryi. Agave parryi ssp. neomexicana has narrower leaves and a shorter, less-branched influorescence. As you can gather from the name, "neomexicana" this subspecies originates in New Mexico. It is exceptionally cold hardy, down to 0 degrees F. This is small Agave producing numerous offsets.

The subspecies Agave parryi ssp parryi is further divided into four varieties. Agave parryi var. truncata comes from the southern-most part of its range in Durango and Zacatecas Mexico which is in the deep central part of Mexico. From here, the range of Agave parryi extends northward into central Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. The plant occurs in open areas at 1500- 9200 feet in elevation. There are four main varieties of Agave parryi ssp. parryi, Agave parryi var. couesii, Agave parryi var. huachuensis, Agave parryi  var. parryi, and Agave parryi var. truncata. Even within a single population of Agave parryi, there are a variety of forms which makes identifying Agave parryi a little difficult. 
Here is a diagram with leaf shapes showing lanceolate and obovate, the two main shapes of Agave parryi leaves. Of the four forms, Agave parryi var. huachuensis has the most lanceolate-shaped leaf. 

Agave parryi var. couesii, is found up north in central Arizona. This agave is smaller than the other forms with a leaf shape is narrower and less rounded than A. parryi var. truncata. Unlike Agave parryi var. huachuensis with its straight long leaves, the leaves of this agave are rounded on top and nip into an hour-glass shape. The plant gets up to 1.5 feet tall and 2 feet wide. The rosette of leaves is more open than the other forms of Agave parryi too. The spines on the apex of the leaf are more slender than on the other forms. Agave parryi var. couesii offsets freely and forms large clumps. This is the hardiest variety, down to 0 degrees F. 

Agave parryi var. couesii                                                                                                                        Agaveville

Agave parryi var. huachucensis appears more robust than A. parryi var. couesii. The leaves are larger, around 25 inches long, and the inflorescence is larger and more branched, sometimes with more than twenty branches.  Unlike the others, this one has long lanceolate leaves. This form freely suckers into large colonies. It is found in southeastern Arizona and into Mexico on south-facing slopes in oak woodlands and pine forests at 5000-7200 feet in elevation. This variety reaches 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide. It is hardy down to 10 degrees F.

     Agave parryi var. huachuensis                                                                                                       Martin Molina

Agave parryi var. parryi is the third variety of Agave parryi ssp. parryi. It is found in grasslands, oak woodland, and in pinyon-juniper forests at 4000-9200 feet in elevation in Arizona, New Mexico, and northwestern Mexico. Many plants are strongly spherical, symmetrical, and very attractive with sometimes a hundred broad leaves on one plant. Mature plants are 1.5-2 feet tall and 2-3 feet across, and hardy to 10 degrees F. Unlike some varieties of Agave parryi the leaves strongly overlap like tiles on a roof, also called "imbricate." This agave has a very stout large single apex spine. A colony of the round shapes of this Agave looks like an artist's installation. They look so perfect they don't seem real. This slow-growing variety does not offset readily and so the specimens are dotted through the landscape rather than clustered together.  Here is a selection of Agave parryi var. parryi called 'Estrella' from Mountain States Wholesale Nursery. Notice the spherical symmetrical form and rounded leaves.

                     Agave parryi var. parryi 'Estrella'                     Mountain States Wholesale Nursery

The fourth variety is Agave parryi var. truncata. This is the least hardy of the four varieties because it comes from the southern part of its range. Depending on how cold it gets in your gardening location source your agave parryi carefully, as the different varieties have different preferred temperature ranges with Agave parryi var. couesii more tolerant of colder temperatures, down to 0 degrees F.  

Agave parryi var. truncata is hardy down to maybe 10-15 degrees F. This variety is a gardener favorite because of its symmetrical squat form, big black curved terminal spines, and gray coloration. One of the most popular clones is Agave parryi var. truncata 'Huntington' made by H. S. Gentry in 1951 in Durango, Mexico. It looks like a gray artichoke with its short or truncated leaves. This is the plant I spied in Hillcrest a few months ago. It is a smaller grower at 1-2 feet high and 2-2.5 feet across. 

                           Agave parryi var. huachucensis                                            Martin Molina

When this small agave has lived around 20 years it ends its life by sending up an astonishing inflorescence that is around 20 feet tall with many branches. The stalk can grow about 4 inches per day. Buds are red and open to golden flowers on flattened terminal clusters in the summer. Each branch has hundreds of flowers. They are well-loved by bats, bees, and hummingbirds. I don't know how a flower could be any more enticing than these. It looks like the agave has served the flowers up on a plate. Agave nectar is especially rich in sugar, at 22 percent, and the pollen is very nutritious and high in protein, at 50 percent. This agave is a one-stop shop for pollinators. Here is a close-up on the flowers. When bats swoop in they get pollen all over their bellies, and pollination occurs when that pollen is transported to the next agave flowers they visit. 

   Agave parryi flower closeup                                                                                                  USDA Forest Service

This Agave likes rocky soil that drains very well. If growing this in colder parts of the world, make doubly sure the drainage is excellent before planting, as winter wet is more lethal then cold temperatures for this plant. While this plant can get by on no supplemental water, it will look much better if watered well every few weeks.

    Agave parryi var. truncata 'Huntington'                                                                                                    S. Reeve

 Above are very attractive specimens of Agave parryi var. truncata 'Huntington'. This is an oldie but a goodie selection that is still in high demand today. Notice the significant and lethal-looking terminal spines. Sorry Dave.