Species · genus Agave · Asparagaceae

Coastal Agave

Agave shawii Engelm.

Also known as: Shaw's Agave

Growth habit

succulent perennial

Native range

California, Mexico Northwest

Agave shawii — reference photo — Dan Horowitz · CC0

Cultivars of A. shawii

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

No named cultivars catalogued under A. shawii 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 Rosetted Succulent

Agave shawii is a succulent perennial that forms the rigid, spiny-edged rosette typical of its genus, with a tall flowering stem rising well above the leaves when it blooms. It belongs to the Asparagaceae family and is also known by the synonym Agave pachyacantha.

Source: RHS

Baja California Native

This species is native to southern California and northwestern Mexico, particularly the northern and central reaches of Baja California. In the wild it grows chiefly in desert and dry shrubland settings.

Source: Kew

Rosette and Bloom Form

Like others in its genus, Agave shawii carries fleshy, spiny-margined leaves gathered into a rosette. Its funnel-shaped flowers appear in racemes or panicles carried on a stem that typically stands much taller than the rosette itself.

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 14-28d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Direct sun

Water

≈ every 28 days

Humidity

Low — average room

Temperature

2–32 °C

Soil mix

Coarse, free-draining cactus and succulent mix

Propagation

Offsets from spreading underground stems

Fertilizing

Occasional dilute succulent feed in the growing season

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Rarely indoors; a single tall bloom stalk 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.

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-28d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Coastal 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.