June 2013 - Genus of the Month - Agave

[Colin Walker]

Hi Colin
I have to raise a query re this statement

Diane, it turns out that the correct name for this cv. is Agave applanata 'Cream Spike'. I showed a pic of this at the CSSA Austin convention and was corrected on its name. Turns out that this is a long mis-I'd plant.

I have had some plants via Derek Bowdery that came labelled as A parryi patoni ( probably about 12 yrs ago) I know there was some controversy about the name but I 'grow what I like' not a label
BUT how can it be Agave applanata 'Cream Spike' wasn't cream spike a tissue culture plant that was originally from Plant delights, my plants existed before the plant delights agaves were tissue cultured or am I suffering from 'old timers again ' , I have heard of the being called applanata but was never too sure about the naming.
Here's another nice un for the thread agave chazaroi, this one is a favourite for bugs which seem to cause horrible marks on it.
Agave gypsophila white XX

Hi Tina,

Thanks for the added info. As you and I have chatted before, names of these cultivars can be problematic. I'm certainly no expert on the names of these cultivars and as you known, I've hardy got any myself in my collection.

Re 'Cream Spike': the issue seems to be: what was the "parent " of the variegates? And this seems to be A. applanata not A. parryi.

Re the tissue culture: presumably this was tissue culture of an already existing variegate, or did variegation occur in tissue culture?

Re the A. gypsophila variegate: thought its name is 'Ivory Curls'?

[Tina]

Hi Paul
I love the picture of the plants under their umbrella's so how many do you have to buy for the family .

Hi Colin

Re the A. gypsophila variegate: thought its name is 'Ivory Curls'?

Yeap I was suffering from 'oldtimers again & meant to pop out this morning to the G/H & get the name .

[RICHAUD]

Hi Richaud

You have some interesting variegates I really like the Agave titanota variegate, that has really random variegation, does it ever offset
The odd splashes of colour on the Victoria reginae is very unusual , does it go green in the winter ?.
I'm jealous that you grew it from seed I had some albino agave utahensis seedlings once but they all died, it was a shame there were no true variegates that survived.

Hi Tina
the titanota is already an offset from a plant which have only 2 leaves variegated
For the victoriae reginae the plant is of the same color all the year around

[Tina]

I'll add a few more even though it's 1st July
Here's a wickedly spined agave titanota 'kyota' ( can't remember the spelling but I think it's right)

Agave parryi huachensis ' excelsior'

A nice variegated Xylonacantha, not the tissue culture clone- this is a more compact/leafy plant, also slower growing

Agave 'sun glow' is a form of blue glow which is a hybrid of a.attenuata X a.ocahui

Agave bracteosa variegate 'monterrey frost', supposedly the squid agave because of the curled in leaves but mine has been at the straighteners

[chrisg]

Great plants, I am a bit late, but here are some of mine

My favourite titonata


Agave titonata

The x nigra in dry bed before I moved and they were all dug up


agave nigra

A. romanii, seems to offset like mad for me.


agave romanii

One of my unknown plants. Has been suggested it could be a horrida form but not sure.


agave unknown

Agave montana, showing a good root growth for one year.


agave-montana-root

Another of the unknown agaves, this one came form a batch of filifera seeds apparently.


agave-filifera-cross-06-apr13

[Agavegeoff]

Hi, All.
No flowers so here are a few that are out now as of 3rd of July.

Agave polyanthiflora

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My own hybrid between A.polyanthiflora and A.arizonica

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A.salmiana an offset from the big plant that flowered last year.

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A.filifera.

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[Herts Mike]

Tina, that gypsophila is beautiful.