Species · genus Agave · Asparagaceae

Whale's Tongue Agave

Agave ovatifolia G.D.Starr & Villarreal

Growth habit

succulent perennial

Native range

Mexico Northeast

Reference · A. ovatifolia

Cultivars of A. ovatifolia

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under A. ovatifolia 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.

Agave ovatifolia is a succulent perennial from the arid uplands of northeastern Mexico, storing water in thick rosette leaves and resenting wet roots. Give it the brightest spot you have, ideally direct sun, in a gritty fast-draining mix. Water deeply but infrequently, only once the soil has dried out completely several inches down.

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

Light

Direct sun

Water

≈ every 30 days

Humidity

Low — average room

Temperature

-5–32 °C

Soil mix

Gritty, free-draining cactus and succulent mix

Propagation

Slow to offset; usually grown from seed or occasional pups

Fertilizing

Dilute succulent feed once or twice in the growing season

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Rarely flowers indoors; one tall bloom spike at maturity

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

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.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: 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 Whale's Tongue Agave yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.