Agave salmianaPulque Agave

The Agave salmiana, commonly known as the Pulque Agave or Maguey, is one of the largest agaves in cultivation, forming a massive rosette of thick, dark grey-green leaves that curve upward and outward with a pronounced channel and a heavy terminal spine. It is native to the high plateau of central Mexico.

At three to four metres across it is a landscape-scale sculptural object rather than a bed plant, and it needs to be sited with that in mind. It is used as a feature in large roundabouts, entrance landscapes and open gravel schemes.

Specifications

• Height1.5 to 2 metres as a rosette, with a flower spike to 8 metres at maturity
• Width3 to 4 metres
• Native toThe high central plateau of Mexico
• FoliageVery large, thick, channelled dark grey-green leaves with dark marginal teeth and a heavy terminal spine; evergreen
• Growth rateModerate

Conditions

• SoilRequires deep, freely drained sandy or gravelly soils; tolerates poor and alkaline ground and rots in wet clay
• LightFull sun
• WaterVery low; strongly drought-tolerant and needs no irrigation once established
• ClimateThrives in hot arid and semi-arid regions and tolerates frost, being a high plateau species

Additional Features

• FormMassive, upward-curving rosette that functions as a landscape-scale sculptural object
• UsesFeature planting in large roundabouts and entrance landscapes, open gravel and xeriscape schemes, civic set pieces
• SpacingPlant 4 to 5 metres apart; this plant needs its full footprint and generous clearance from paths
• Low MaintenanceRemove offsets to control spread and cut out the spent flower stem after the parent rosette dies
• Pest ResistanceRobust where drainage is sharp; agave snout weevil is the main risk in over-irrigated ground
• Drought ToleranceVery high, needing no supplementary water in Gulf conditions once established
• LongevityLives many years before flowering once, after which the parent rosette dies and offsets take over
• ToxicityHeavy terminal spine and sharp marginal teeth on a very large plant; keep well clear of paths, seating and play areas

The Pulque Agave is a civic-scale sculptural plant, and the single most important decision about it is giving it enough room.