Agave stricta, the hedgehog agave, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to Puebla and Oaxaca in Southern Mexico.[4] Growing to 50 cm (20 in) tall, it is an evergreen succulent with rosettes of narrow spiny leaves producing erect racemes, 2 m (7 ft) long, of reddish purple flowers in summer.[5][6] The foliage may develop a red tinge in the summer.
| Agave stricta | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asparagaceae |
| Subfamily: | Agavoideae |
| Genus: | Agave |
| Species: | A. stricta
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| Binomial name | |
| Agave stricta | |
| Synonyms[2][3] | |
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The Latin specific epithet stricta means erect, or upright.[7]
As this plant is known to produce pincushion-like offsets, or "pups", as it grows[8]—an unusually polycarpic trait among the Agaves (a highly monocarpic group of plants)—a team of Mexican biologists and botanists proposed the formation of a new genus, Echinoagave, in January 2024. This would lead to a new (or synonymous) genus and species name of Echinoagave stricta, in addition to the potential reclassifying of ten or eleven other species.[9] Other species considered for placement into Echinoagave include Agave albopilosa and Agave striata. The name is derived from the Greek word for "spiny", echînos.[9]
Similarly to many succulents, A. stricta thrives on air flow, good lighting and well-drained, mostly inert substrates, and may develop root rot if overwatered.[10] With a minimum preferred temperature of 10 °C (50 °F), this plant requires dry and well-lit conditions, ranging from room-temperature to warm, during winter in temperate regions; in appropriate climates, it may be grown outdoors in full- or part-sun year-round, or during the spring and summer months, provided that excessive precipitation does not flood its roots. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[11][12]
References
edit- ^ García-Mendoza, A.J.; Sandoval-Gutiérrez, D.; Torres-García, I.; Casas, A. (2019). "Agave stricta". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T115698101A116354518. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T115698101A116354518.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ Tropicos, Agave stricta
- ^ The Plant List, Agave stricta
- ^ Salm-Reifferscheid-Dyck, Joseph Franz Maria Anton Hubert. Bonplandia 7: 94. 1859.
- ^ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1405332965.
- ^ Gentry, Howard Scott. Agaves of Continental North America. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 1982.
- ^ Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. p. 224. ISBN 9781845337315.
- ^ "Agave stricta". BBC Gardeners' World Magazine. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
- ^ a b Bock, Gerhard (29 March 2024). "Echinoagave, Paleoagave, Paraagave, oh my". Succulents and More. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ Christina (2019-04-12). "How To Grow Agave Stricta". Inside Herb Gardens. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
- ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Agave stricta". Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). www.rhs.org. Royal Horticultural Society. November 2018. p. 3. Retrieved 27 February 2020.