Agave attenuata var. latifolia Salm-Dyck ex A.Terracc
Agave attenuata var. paucibracteata Trel.
Agave attenuata var. subdentata Cels ex Carrière
Agave attenuata var. subundulata Jacobi
Agave cernua A. Berger
Agave debaryana Jacobi
Agave glaucescens Hook.
Agave kellocki Jacobi
Agave pruinosa Lem. ex Jacobi
Ghiesbreghtia mollis Roezl. (invalid)
Agave attenuata is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, commonly known as the foxtail or lion's tail. The name swan's neck agave refers to its development of a curved inflorescence, unusual among agaves.[3] Native to the plateaux of central west Mexico, as one of the unarmed agaves, it is popular as an ornamental plant in gardens in many other places with subtropical and warm climates.[4]
Description
Although the plant can appear acaulescent, stems often reach 50 to 150 cm (20–60 in) in length, and old leaves fall off, leaving the stems visible. The leaves are ovate-acuminate, 50–70 cm (20–28 in) long and 12–16 cm (5–6 in) wide, pale in color, ranging from a light gray to a light yellowish green. There are neither teeth, nor terminal spines, although the leaves taper to soft points that fray with age. The numerous, broad, succulent, tapering leaves are slightly less rigid than the leaves of most Agave species; they are a bright glaucous gray to light yellowish-green and stingless.[5]
The inflorescence is a dense raceme 2.5 to 3 meters (8 to 10 ft) high (usually curved), with greenish-yellow flowers, growing after many years.[6] As with other Agave species, the plant dies following seed development, but numerous suckers consequently sprout, both from the base of the plant and from the flower raceme.
It has two subspecies:
A. attenuata subsp. attenuata: Native to Central and Southwest Mexico and naturalized in Madeira and Libya.[7]
A. attenuata subsp. dentata (J.Verschaff.) B.Ullrich: Native to Northwest and Southwest Mexico.[8]
Specimens were sent to Kew Gardens by the explorer Galeotti in 1834, from an unspecified location in central Mexico. A more recent study has reported it from Jalisco, east to Mexico State, in small colonies at elevations of 1,900 to 2,500 meters (6,200 to 8,200 ft), but there have been few sightings, suggesting this agave is rare in the wild.[6]IUCN reports the species from the states of Colima, Durango, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacán, Nayarit and Mexico State, at altitudes between 400 and 2,500 meters (1,300 and 8,200 ft) on volcanic rock cliffs within pine forests and transitional zones of tropical dry and temperate forests types in mountains.[1] It is reportedly naturalized in Libya[10][11] and Madeira[11] and is widely spread through the Mediterranean and the rest of Macaronesia.
In cultivation, Agave attenuata is said to prefer relatively moist loamy soil, although it can cope with poor soil and dry conditions. It should be protected from direct sunlight in summer and from long periods of frost.[12] It is hardy down to USDA Zone 9b.[13][14]
Gallery
A specimen leaning as the floral stem grows
Flower raceme
Flowers close-up
Fruits developing following bloom
A cluster of A. attenuata starting to form their flower spikes (overhead view)
^Robert Zander : Zander hand dictionary of plant names. Edited by Fritz Encke , Günther Buchheim, Siegmund Seybold .15th edition, corrected reprint of the 14th edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN3-8001-5072-7
.jpg)
