Agave potatorumButterfly Agave

The Agave potatorum, commonly known as the Butterfly Agave, is a compact rosette succulent from the dry hills of Oaxaca and Puebla in southern Mexico. Broad, cupped, powder-blue leaves are edged with a strongly wavy margin of dark chestnut teeth, giving the rosette a scalloped, almost hand-cut outline.

It is one of the most decorative small agaves and holds its colour and outline through the hottest months. It is used as a feature in planters, courtyards and detailed gravel planting rather than in broad mass.

Specifications

• Height0.4 to 0.6 metres
• Width0.6 to 0.9 metres
• Native toSouthern Mexico, in the dry hills of Oaxaca and Puebla
• FoliageBroad, cupped, powder-blue leaves with a strongly wavy margin of dark chestnut teeth; evergreen
• Growth rateSlow

Conditions

• SoilRequires sharply drained gravelly or sandy soils; will not tolerate heavy or wet ground
• LightFull sun to partial shade
• WaterVery low; strongly drought-tolerant and easily lost to overwatering
• ClimateThrives in hot arid and semi-arid regions; frost-sensitive

Additional Features

• FormCompact scalloped rosette with a sculptural outline that reads clearly even in a small planter
• UsesFeature planting in courtyards and podium planters, detailed gravel planting, raised bed accents
• SpacingPlant 0.7 to 0.9 metres apart, or use singly as a container specimen
• Low MaintenanceRemove old lower leaves occasionally; no feeding or pruning required
• Pest ResistanceFew significant pest or disease problems where drainage is sharp
• Drought ToleranceVery high, holding leaf colour and form through extended dry heat
• Seasonal AppealThe powder-blue colour and dark tooth margin hold through the year, giving consistent contrast
• ToxicitySharp terminal spine and marginal teeth; keep away from paths and seating

The Butterfly Agave is the most decorative of the small blue agaves, and it is worth a position where it can be seen properly.