Species · genus Agave · Asparagaceae
Horrid Agave
Agave horrida Lem. ex Jacobi
Cultivars of A. horrida
The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.
No named cultivars catalogued under A. horrida yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.
Guide
The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.
A spiny desert rosette
Agave horrida is an evergreen succulent that builds a stiff rosette of deep green leaves up to a metre high, armed with dark brown teeth and spines that fade to greyish white. It belongs to a genus grown chiefly for its sculptural form rather than for flowers, since mature rosettes flower only once and then die.
Source: RHS
A genus of desert sculptures
Agave as a genus is grown for its striking, architectural presence, prized for tequila and sisal fibre production as well as ornament. These are perennial or monocarpic succulents forming rosettes of rigid, spiny-edged leaves, with flower spikes often rising well above the foliage.
Source: RHS
Sun, grit, restraint
Give this agave full sun and a well-drained, gritty mix such as loam or sand with an acid to neutral pH; under glass, cactus compost suits it well. Water freely while it is in growth but keep it almost dry over winter, and feed with a dilute liquid fertiliser three or four times through the growing season. It can spend summer outdoors in a sunny spot but needs to overwinter in a greenhouse or conservatory, as it is hardy only to about 1–5°C.
Source: RHS
Grown from seed
This agave is propagated by seed, sown at around 21°C in early spring.
Source: RHS
Teeth, spines, one bloom
The leaves are rigid and deep green, edged with dark brown teeth and tipped with spines that pale to a greyish white with age. On a mature plant a tall, narrow flower spike can rise from the rosette bearing yellow or occasionally purple blooms, and once flowering finishes that rosette dies off. It is a clump-forming, drought-resistant plant that can take ten to twenty years to reach maturity.
Source: RHS
Watch for scale
Scale insects are the main pest to watch for on this plant, though it is otherwise generally free of disease.
Source: RHS
Little upkeep needed
No pruning is required for this agave. Its main seasonal task is the shift indoors for winter shelter and back out to a sunny spot once warmer weather returns, and gardeners should note it is a skin irritant, so gloves are worth wearing when handling it.
Source: RHS
Care recipe
The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.
Care notes are early — not yet verified
- Light
- ai:claude-opus-4-8
- Water
- ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-30d)
- Humidity
- ai:claude-opus-4-8
- Soil
- ai:claude-fable-5
- Care
- ai:claude-fable-5
Direct sun
≈ every 30 days
Low — average room
8–32 °C
Gritty, sharply draining cactus and succulent mix
Separate basal offsets
Light feed once or twice through spring and summer
Slow
Green-yellow spike after many years, mind the fierce spines
Not yet documented
This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.
Reference images
Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.
PrimarySources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-30d) · ai:claude-fable-5
Kept true by its growers
Every fact here carries its source. Grow Horrid Agave yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.
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