The genus Agave is part of the family Agavaceae. There are around 200 species in the genus. Most of these are
from Mexico, although they occur in the southern United States and into South America.
Plants are characterized by forming rosettes of fleshy (succulent) leaves which have a sharp point or spine terminally. The leaf margins may
be smooth or spiny.
Agave plants have been given the common name "Century Plant" because of their blooming habit. The idea is that the plants live
for 100 years, bloom and die. While it is true that Agave are monocarpic, meaning they bloom once and then die, few species, if any, take
a full 100 years to do this. When an Agave does bloom, it sends up a large flower stalk out of the center of the plant that grows very
quickly. The height of the bloom stalk is often many times higher than the plant. This often catches people by surprise when the Agave they
were growing in their garden for years, suddenly and rapidly goes through this transformation. This is often when they try to identify and
learn more about their plant.
Because of the fleshy green succulent leaves and the sharp points, many people try to look up cactus or cacti when in fact it is an Agave they
are searching for. The links below are excellent resources for learning more about Agave species and contain information, pictures, books, and
succulent plant forums where you can quickly become aquatinted with the Agave family.
Family Agavaceae
Introduction to the Agave family.
Genus Agave
Look a species specifically in the genus Agave.
Other Succulents
View other succulent plant species.
CactiGuide.com
Click here to view cactus plants.
ExoticPlantBooks.com
Click here to view books on Agaves.
Explorer Hats
A source for awesome hats.
Other Great Book Sites
BirdGuideBooks.com -Books about bird watching and bird identification.
AquaticLifeBooks.com - Books on aquatic life - both marine and freshwater.
RockandMineralBooks.com - Books on rocks and minerals.
FlowerGardenBooks.com - Books on ornamental gardening.
AnimalGuideBooks.com - Books on animal life -mammals, reptiles, insects, and more.