Whatz That? - Barstow agaves & kin

Agaves are native to the Western Hemisphere.  The Old World equivalents are Aloes and Bulbines.  The following list contains the agaves, aloes, and bulbines that I have in my garden in Barstow, most of which are grown in sheltered locations.  The only agave that is recommended by the Sunset Western Gardening Book for Sunset zone 11 is the Agave parryi.  No aloes or bulbines are recommended as they are not thought to be sufficiently winter hardy.  However, I have two bulbines and half a dozen aloes that have survived several winters in a sheltered location.  They are included in the list below..  I have not included pictures of the varieties that are not doing well. But if there is not a picture, do not assume it is doing poorly.  Some of my plants are too small to look much like their mature shape.  Most agaves are marginal for this area, so unless I am assured that they will take both the summer sun and the winter snow, I plant them in areas with some shelter.  Most agaves reproduce by offset.  Then when the mother plant blooms, and subsequently dies, the pups have survived.  Aloes also form offsets.  But aloes do not die when they bloom.  Supposedly a plant can be identified as an aloe or as an agave by the direction the teeth along the sides of the leaves are pointing.  The agave teeth point toward the root and the aloe teeth point toward the tip of the leaf.  I don't find this very helpful as the teeth don't seem to be consistent.

Century Plant/Agave americana
This plant is at the Barstow Public Library.  The extra water from the lawn has helped it grow large quickly.  Mine are a lot smaller and not as pretty.  They don't receive as much water.  The leaves are banded which is unusual for Century Plants, but common for those in Barstow.  I assume they have a common mother plant.

Varigated Century Plant/Agave  americana 'marginata'
This plant is at Dana Park.  Mine are much smaller and probably do not receive as much water.

Striped Century Plant/Agave americana mediopicta alba
2'x1' rosette
This is a small plant that offsets readily.  Again mine are smaller and probably receive less water.

Narow-leafed Agave/Agave angustifolia
3'x3' rosette
This plant has a beautiful shape.

Squid Agave/Agave bracteosa
3'x4' clump
One of these looks like a squid.  A clump of them just looks like a clump.

Agave colorata
This agave has grown where it is planted and has produced offsets.  However it does not look very good.  I'm not sure if it gets too much water ot what, so I will plant one of the offet in a drier location.  It is a small cup-shaped greyish plant.





King Ferdinand's Agave/Agave ferdinand-regis

Green Goblet Agave/Agave ferox
3'x3' rosette
A beautiful plant

Threadleaf Agave/Agave filifera
2'x2' rosette
As the name indicates, there are plentiful threads on the leaf margins.

Agave franzosinii
I just bought this one at Cactus Mart in Morongo Basin.  It may be marginal in Barstow, so I am thinking of keeping it in a pot, eventually a big beautiful pot of course.  Given the right conditions it becomes a very large fountain-shaped plant.

Agave gentry 'Jaws'
3'x3' rosette
Like many of my agaves and yuccas, I bought this online from yuccado.com.  Their website gives a lot of information about each plant.






 Gypsum Century Plant/Agave gypsophila
This one also came from Cactus Mart in Morongo Basin.  The people there are very knowledgeable about mature size and hardiness of their plants.  They said it Barstow might be too cold for it, so I will put it in a pot in a sheltered place.




Chisos Agave/Agave harvardiana
Agave neomexicana
Agave ocahui

Agave ovatifolia
This is a new plant for me.  From the pictures I have seen of mature ones, it reaches a fountainlike 5'x5'.






Agave parrasana

Agave parryi 'Cream Spike'
Most of the Agave parryi family are hardy in Barstow, but Yuccado Nursery which sells this, questions the identification and also it's hardiness.  It is a small gem about 5" in diameter, and is beginning to offset.  I have it in a sheltered location.  When it has enough pups that I am ready to divide it, I will try other locations.



Agave parryi var. huachacensis

Parry's Agave/Agave parryi var. parryi
3'x3' rosette
This is one of the most common agaves in nurseries.  It is one of the few recommended by Sunset for zone 11.

Artichoke Agave'Agave parryi var. truncata








Agave potrerana

Maguey de Pulquey/Agave salmiana
4'x3' rosette
offsets readily
The leaves have an attractive striped coloring.

Sharkskin Agave/Agave scabra
2'x3' rosette







Maguey/Agave schidigera 'Durango Delight'

Agave striata 'falcata'
1'x1' rosettes
Although with this plant, I am not sure how to tell a rosette from a clump.  Unlike most agaves, the leaves are stiff and hard rather than succulent.



Sea Urchin, Hedgehog Agave/Agave stricta

Tequila Agave/Agave tequilana
This becomes quite a large plant.  But as it is marginally hardy here, I will keep it in a pot, which will keep it smaller.  The leaves are narrow because it has been in a shady place.




Agave tourmeyana 'Bella'
Utah Agave/Agave utahensis

Queen Victoria Agave/Agave victoria-reginae
When these grow to 2'x3' they are incredible.  However, then they bloom, and like all agaves, die.

Octopus Agave/Agave vilamoriana

Blue Agave/Agave weberii

4'x3' rosette

These are beautiful large rosettes with their rippled leaves.  They grow extremely well here.

Agave x 'Sharkskin Shoes'

Agave ssp 'Mr. Ripple'

Aloes are not winter hardy in Barstow unless they have at least a little protection.  Also most of them are damaged by the summer sun.  So my aloes are either on the east side of walls, or under pine trees.  Unfortunately it is not easy to pick up pine needles that fall around them.

Lace Aloe/Aloe aristata

4'x4' clump

Desert Aloe/Aloe desertii
2'x1' clumping
yellow flowers on a tall stalk
A friend gave me my start of these.  Soon I had them planted all over the yard.  They grow with almost no water, and are the hardiest aloe I have found.  My identification as Aloe desertii is tentative.  But if that isn't its name, it ought to be.
A. desertii is native to the eastern parts of the Mojave Desert among other places.

Spider Aloe/Aloe humilis

4"x6" cluping
This is another small aloe that forms clumps.

Coral Aloe/Aloe striata
3'x2' offsets
This aloe is edged with pink when it grows in a location with more sun than the ones shown.  However, it will not take full sun in Barstow.  It is easy to grow and easy to propagate.  The bright orange flowers are borne on long stalks.

Karasberg Aloe/ Aloe striata ssp. Karasbergensis
This variety of the Coral Aloe has interesting striped leaves.  I have not decided where to plant mine yet, or if I should leave it in a pot.  It is said to be less hardy than the Coral Aloe.





Aloe vera/Aloe vera

Aloe ssp. 'Blue Elf'
This is a short clumping bluish aloe only about 6" high.  The first one I tried died.  I'm not sure if that was because of the winter cold, so I am trying again.

Bulbine frutescens/Stalked Bulbine
Bulbine latifolia

Most of these plants are on drip irrigation and are watered 10 min. once a week in Summer and 5 min. once every 2-4 weeks in Winter.  The aloes and those agaves which are under my pine trees, I water by hand.