Publication: Agaves Cont. N. Amer. 543 1982.
Description
Agave parryi var. truncata is an extraordinary diminutive and ornamental variant of Agave parry with very short, broader and rounder leaves (some-times only 7-15 cm long), with tip acute to truncate (whence the name). This variety has “artichoke-like” and pleasing silvery-bluish gray rosettes with wider leaves than average, and the colour contrast is more intense, making it one of the more ornamental agaves of its size.
Habit: They are small, light gray, short-stemmed plants, usually solitary but some-times copiously surculose with long rhizomes, infrequently flowering.
Rosettes: Symmetrical, compact, sculpture-like, bluish-leaved.
Leaves: Very short and broad, 10-30 cm long, 7-12 cm broad, short oblong, plane, the apex concave, short acuminate to truncate, margin repand to undulate; teeth variable, the larger 4-8 mm long, commonly flexed downward, striking purple-red to dark brown. Terminal spine 2-2.5 cm long, openly grooved, sinuous, dark brown.
Inflorescence: 4-6 m tall, paniculate, stout, part-inflorescences stout, 20 - 36 in the upper half of the inflorescence.
Flowers: Tepals 2-2.5 times longer than the tube (10 mm deep).
Similar species: The more mammillate margined forms resemble the small-leaved Agave guadalajarana, but the latter has a more slender inflorescence with more remote, fewer, and smaller umbels.
Origin and Habitat
Agave parryi var. truncata is endemic to Mexico, in the Durango / Zacatecas border at the South-Est border of the species’ range. It is only known from the region of the type locality.
Type locality: Sierra Papanton. ca. 14 miles west of Sombrerete, near Zacatecas-Durango border, along highway 45.
Altitude range: About 2450 metres above sea level.
Habitat: Oak-juniper grassland.
Cultivation and Propagation
Agave parryi is usually cultivated outdoors in rock gardens, in cactus and succulent gardens, in Mediterranean-style landscapes, in borders, or as a specimen. It suckers, but tends to be slow to sucker, so easy to keep control of. Some varieties, like truncata, hardly sucker at all. It is very frost hardy. Because of its compact size, plus its low water use and low maintenance, it is considered a good landscaping plant for desert residential landscaping.
Growth rate: Slow to medium growing, but speeds up considerably given the best conditions.
Exposure: They do well in full sun or a lightly shaded area with afternoon shade.
Soil: They do best in very well-drained, sandy or gravely soil. As an ornamental it is also grown in containers where it stays smaller than its outdoor brethren. In pots they need a very porous mix soil (e.g. 2 parts peat moss to 1 part loam to 1 part of pumice).
Repotting: Use pot with good drainage.
Fertilization: They grows quickly if kept well nourished with a slow release fertilizer specifically formulated for cactus and succulents applied once or twice a year (poor in nitrogen), including all micro nutrients and trace elements.
Hardiness: Agave parryi is one of the most cold hardy of the agaves, (hardy to -9/-18°C dependin by clones (USDA zones: 9b-11). However some variety (e.g. Agave parryi var. couesii) has proven to grown without particular damages in wet, cold and harsh winters with temperatures down to -20°C or less at least with good drainage). Agave parryi var. truncata may need protection in the coldest areas.
Scenography: These striking plants are wonderful when used for accent or simply to provide some all year round foliage and often used in a pot as a patio plant, can be moved around to change the scenery or position to give more shelter.
Traditional uses: Used to manufacture mescal and tequila. Native Americans also use plant for food, fiber, soap and medicines.
Warning: It is armed with needle-sharp spines. The juice of this species can be irritating to the skin.
Propagation: Seeds or suckers which often are found growing around the base of the plant, Remove the basal suckers (if available) in spring or summer and let the cuttings dry for a few days before inserting in compost.
Bibliography
Major references and further lectures
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Urs Eggli “Illustrated Handbook of Suculent Plants: Monocotyledons” Springer, 2001
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Howard Scott Gentry “Agaves of Continental North America” University of Arizona Press, 01/Feb/2004
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August J. Breitung: “Agave parryi” In: “The Agaves.” The Cactus & Succulent Journal Yearbook, 1968
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Howard Scott Gentry: “Agave parryi.” In: “Agaves of Continental North America.” The University of Arizona Press, 1982
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J.Thiede: “Agave parryi.” In: Urs Eggli (Hrsg.): “Sukkulenten-Lexikon. Einkeimblättrige Pflanzen (Monocotyledonen).” Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2001
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James L. Reveal & Wendy C. Hodgson: “Flora of North America Agavaceae.” 2002
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Chihuahuan desert plants. “Parry Agave (Agave parryi)”.
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Wikipedia contributors. “Agave parryi.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 18 Oct. 2014. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.
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“Vascular Plants of the Gila Wilderness” Presented in Association with the Western New Mexico University Department of Natural Sciences. “Agave parryi Engelmann”.
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Mary Irish “Gardening in the Desert: A Guide to Plant Selection & Care” University of Arizona Press, 01/Sept./2000
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Greg Starr “Agaves: Living Sculptures for Landscapes and Containers” Timber Press, 27/Jun/2013
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Mary Irish “Gardening in the Desert: A Guide to Plant Selection & Care” University of Arizona Press, 2000
From llifle page Agave patonii
Description
Agave patonii is a synonym of Agave parryi var. truncata. How the name Agave patonii came to be so widely used for the juvenile form of Agave applanata is, and probably shall remain, a mystery.
Origin and Habitat
Mexico
Cultivation and Propagation
Agave patonii is also not very cold tolerant, damage to its leaves occurring when plants in the field are exposed to temperatures of about — 15°C for a few hours.
Bibliography
Major references and further lectures
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Park S. Nobel “Environmental Biology of Agaves and Cacti” Cambridge University Press, 16/Oct/2003
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Greg Starr “Agaves: Living Sculptures for Landscapes and Containers” Timber Press, 27/Jun/2013
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Howard Scott Gentry “Agaves of Continental North America” University of Arizona Press, 01/Feb/2004
Source: Agave patonii, LLIFLE - Encyclopedia of living forms, CC-BY-SA, retrieved 2026-10-25.