Description
Agave weberi ‘Arizona Star’ is a variegated form with a very elegant fountain-like shape. It is slightly smaller than the standard Agave weberi but growing over 1,2 m tall by 2,1 m wide in time, weather or container size permitting. Nice broad, creamy-yellow bands line the edges of the leaves and enliven the bluish-green zone in the center. This cultivar was discovered by Tony Avent from plants in a block of the central mexican Agave weberi at Arizona’s Mountain States Wholesale Nursery. This plant is similar, but not the same as Agave weberi f. marginata, which is much slower growing with cream-colored margins.
Stems/Trunks: Stemless, but removal of lower leaves creates a short trunk.
Leaves: Fleshy, fraglie, large, lanceolate-oblong, nearly straight or gracefully arching and recumbent, grey-green, light bluish gray or deep blue-green that have a wide marginal pale yellow stripes along the nearly spineless margins, up to 120cm long and about 10 cm wide above the base and 20-25 cm towards the centre, almost spooned out, gradually tapering, upper surface concave or almost flat.
Flowers: Large stalk to 4,5-6 m high bearing cluster of yellow flowers.
Origin and Habitat
Garden origin (Nursery selected cultivar)
Cultivation and Propagation
It tend to be slow grower, taking several years to achieve a mature size, but worth the effort. Grow it in porous soil with adequate drainage. It should be grown in full sun, but sensitive to light during the hottest part of summer, closing up when it is too bright or too hot . The leaves will keep their blue-gray color and the plants will stay more compact. Water thoroughly when soil is dry to the touch, with supplemental water during hottest part of year. In winter watering this plant can be done once every 1-2 months, there is no need to mist the leaves. It is a cold hardy species. Heat and drought tolerance: Excellent.
Maintenance: low, remove spent leaves.
Propagation: Relatively easy to propagate by seeds or by suckers. Remove the basal suckers in spring or summer and let the cuttings dry for a few days before inserting in compost. only problem is the logistics of getting to the suckers - very sharp spines and suckers usually right up against, or underneath the mother plant.
Uses:
Gardening: Agave weberi make great potted plants as well as excellent landscape plants. They are wonderful when used for accent or simply to provide some all year round foliage colour and often used in a pot as a patio plant, they make an eye-catching statement and along with other evergreen plants in pots, can be moved around to change the scenery or position to give more shelter. It is a valuable accent plant with tropical appearance.
