1 hour ago, Merlyn said:

I think that's a good bet.  Some Colorata are fairly evenly colored, and others are kinda blotchy.  I have a Colorata in the front yard, but the rain here washes the blue off pretty quick as the leaves grow.  It's also a more wide-leafed type than Brian's photos.  I keep thinking that Brian's photos are just seedlings that eventually grow to 6 feet diameter...    Maybe it's just a narrower-leaf form of Colorata.

I bet you could get a quick ID over on Agaveville.  https://www.agaveville.org/viewtopic.php?t=4264

Thanks for the link Merlyn! Looks like it could be a possible match. Like you said I think those are pups that will get bigger. Awesome plants whatever they are!

On 12/9/2025 at 11:20 AM, Urban Rainforest said:

Brian, Could they be Agave Colorata? Looking at pics online seems to match up well with the wavy lines, scalloped leaf margins and smaller spines. Says they are from Sonora and Sinaloa.

Good call. Looks close to Agave Colorata except the ones here tend to have narrow leafs with strait edges or a bit wider towards the tip instead of the base. 

On 12/9/2025 at 1:22 PM, Merlyn said:

I think that's a good bet.  Some Colorata are fairly evenly colored, and others are kinda blotchy.  I have a Colorata in the front yard, but the rain here washes the blue off pretty quick as the leaves grow.  It's also a more wide-leafed type than Brian's photos.  I keep thinking that Brian's photos are just seedlings that eventually grow to 6 feet diameter...    Maybe it's just a narrower-leaf form of Colorata.

I bet you could get a quick ID over on Agaveville.  https://www.agaveville.org/viewtopic.php?t=4264

Im going to ask around and see if some of the locals know of bigger one. Also, thanks for the link. Ill see if I can post it over there and get an ID.

 

 

On 12/9/2025 at 11:20 AM, Urban Rainforest said:

Brian, Could they be Agave Colorata? Looking at pics online seems to match up well with the wavy lines, scalloped leaf margins and smaller spines. Says they are from Sonora and Sinaloa.

I just figured out that I mistakenly posted two separate agave species thinking they were the same. The first photo I posted with the scalloped leaves is not a local agave. Its from a plant I bought from a nursery in Mexico City about 20 years ago. Here is the original plant. 


The second and third photos I posted are the local agave and after checking around with some locals they say it does not get much bigger then the ones in the photos. Sorry for the confusion.

 

did someone say agaves ... man ive had a crazy obsession with agaves for over 15 years.  the only sad thing is they are monocarpic so all i can say is they are definitely ephemeral.   in any case here is a pic of my xeric side of my yard:

 

it is of course ever changing as agaves die and new ones take its place.  here is an ovatifolia that unfortunately flowered a couple of years ago but i loved it while it was in the yard and was one of the neighborhood's favorite:

 

 

@Urban Rainforest   ... i too love titanotas and the craziest thing is i find them more attractive the more i neglect them.  here is one i planted on my easement in my backyard on hoa property that i never water and i find this more attractive with its desiccated leaves than the healthy ones in my yard:

@Brian gotcha.  The one in the latest photo looks like Gypsophila.  The ones in post #9 here are almost identical: https://www.agaveville.org/viewtopic.php?t=289

Tin, Your drought tolerant landscape is stellar! The way you have layered in the differant colors, textures and rocks it looks like a painting! 
 

It is kinda sad that Agaves are monocarpic but most species will throw a few pups before they are done and when they flower you could try to make some hybrids or just germinate the seed and have more than you know what to do with.

19 hours ago, tinman10101 said:

did someone say agaves ... man ive had a crazy obsession with agaves for over 15 years.  the only sad thing is they are monocarpic so all i can say is they are definitely ephemeral.   in any case here is a pic of my xeric side of my yard:

 

it is of course ever changing as agaves die and new ones take its place.  here is an ovatifolia that unfortunately flowered a couple of years ago but i loved it while it was in the yard and was one of the neighborhood's favorite:

 

 

@Urban Rainforest   ... i too love titanotas and the craziest thing is i find them more attractive the more i neglect them.  here is one i planted on my easement in my backyard on hoa property that i never water and i find this more attractive with its desiccated leaves than the healthy ones in my yard:

I agree the Titanotas look even better with a little neglect! When my buddy who I got mine from aquired his they had been hard grown and looked pretty much like yours.

2 minutes ago, Urban Rainforest said:

I agree the Titanotas look even better with a little neglect! When my buddy who I got mine from aquired his they had been hard grown and looked pretty much like yours.

wow i like the large white margins on that one.  real nice ones Steve!

2 minutes ago, tinman10101 said:

wow i like the large white margins on that one.  real nice ones Steve!

Thanks Tin! I am going to have to force myself to neglect it so it can keep that gnarly look.

10 minutes ago, Urban Rainforest said:

Tin, Your drought tolerant landscape is stellar! The way you have layered in the differant colors, textures and rocks it looks like a painting! 
 

It is kinda sad that Agaves are monocarpic but most species will throw a few pups before they are done and when they flower you could try to make some hybrids or just germinate the seed and have more than you know what to do with.

Thanks Steve.  I bet many of us look forward to the day you get your new blank slate and be planting out all your choice plants.  It will be amazingly spectacular.!!! 

I am not too keen with hybridizing agaves.  I guess trying to keep them in a controlled environment and pollinating while the flower stalk is 15 feet tall kinda turns me off. especially falling off a ladder into my other agaves. LOL. Yeah pupping has its rewards and with TC almost anything is more readily available now.  Remember when agave snaggletooth were $350 plus about 5 years ago?  Man ... they are so affordable now.  I love that plants are being made more available to the public.  I remember way back when I was talking to George Sparkman and he dreamt of supplying Enc. Natalensis by the hundreds to Home Depot.  Sadly, he didn't not have the chance to see that come to fruition but I do believe that is not too far away ... at least for the more common cycads.   

18 minutes ago, tinman10101 said:

Thanks Steve.  I bet many of us look forward to the day you get your new blank slate and be planting out all your choice plants.  It will be amazingly spectacular.!!! 

I am not too keen with hybridizing agaves.  I guess trying to keep them in a controlled environment and pollinating while the flower stalk is 15 feet tall kinda turns me off. especially falling off a ladder into my other agaves. LOL. Yeah pupping has its rewards and with TC almost anything is more readily available now.  Remember when agave snaggletooth were $350 plus about 5 years ago?  Man ... they are so affordable now.  I love that plants are being made more available to the public.  I remember way back when I was talking to George Sparkman and he dreamt of supplying Enc. Natalensis by the hundreds to Home Depot.  Sadly, he didn't not have the chance to see that come to fruition but I do believe that is not too far away ... at least for the more common cycads.   

Thanks Tin! I will probably need a little housing correction before I can get the new blank slate here in San Diego but I am working towards that goal. Its funny when I go to an open house and they are trying to show me the kitchen and bedrooms I head straight to the backyard to see if its big enough for all my plants lol🤣

As a landscaper with an account at home depot I am there all the time and I always check their Agave selection. They have been getting much better plants the last couple of years. They are getting alot if their plants from Altman plants/Kelley Griffin as of late and thats where I picked up a couple of mine. I have never seen an Encephalartos at Home Depot but I’m pretty sure that day is coming.

On 12/13/2025 at 11:44 PM, tinman10101 said:

did someone say agaves ... man ive had a crazy obsession with agaves for over 15 years.  the only sad thing is they are monocarpic so all i can say is they are definitely ephemeral.   in any case here is a pic of my xeric side of my yard

10 or so years is long enough for me to enjoy them. besides, many of them pup at least once or twice anyway. I’d rather an agave than a daffodil that blooms for 2 weeks and is gone the rest of the year 😂. Your collection is beautiful, and I love the mix of colors. I’m working on creating a little xeric bed in my front yard too, although it’s not quite as big or beautiful as yours, at least not yet. I agree titanotas are really cool, the shark looking teeth are just so captivating. 

@Brianthe color on that wavy looking agave is amazing, it works so well with the unique leaf shape