Agave attenuata
Agave attenuata
The Dragon Tree Agave ( Agave attenuata ) is a species of the genus agave ( Agave ) in the subfamily of the agave ( Agavoideae ). Due to the form of its inflorescence is also known under the name gooseneck Agave.
Description
The Dragon Tree Agave is a perennial succulent plant. It develops over many years one or more upright, thick, up to 1.5 meters high strains at the tip propagates a rosette of leaves. The numerous, ovate, pointed leaves are a bit softer than most agaves, they are bright Glauk - gray to light yellowish green and spineless. They are 50 to 70 inches long and 12 to 16 inches wide. The leaf margin is smooth or finely serrated. After many years of often curved inflorescence, which is up to 3.5 meters tall with densely packed, greenish yellow flowers developed.
The variety ' Nerva ' has blue-green leaves.
Distribution and systematics
The Dragon Tree Agave is used in the Mexican states of Jalisco, Michoacán and México at altitudes of 1900 to 2500 meters on rocks in pine forests. But they are also found in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands and Madeira.
The first description was in 1834 by Joseph Salm- Dyck Reifferscheidt.
We distinguish the following sub- types:
- Agave attenuata subsp. attenuata
- Agave attenuata subsp. dentata
Agave attenuata is a representative of the section Serrulatae. Because of their similar species, such as Agave and Agave bracteosa ellemeetiana, they should really belong to the section Choritepalae. Together with the closely related species Agave Agave pedunculifera gilbertii and it forms within the section Serrulatae an independent group of broad-leaved species.