Overview

A towering succulent native to southern Mexico, notable for its long life cycle and dramatic form. Belonging to the Agavaceae family, it produces a single bloom after 25–40 years, then dies, leaving behind bulbils for propagation. This plant forms a dense rosette of blue-green leaves, reaching up to 10 feet in length, with hooked spines along the edges and an upright, architectural appearance. It can grow an unbranched trunk of up to 20 feet in its natural habitat, although it usually achieves heights of 8–10 feet in cultivation, with a width of 6–8 feet. Flowering is rare but spectacular, with a 20-foot spike covered in greenish-white or creamy-white, bell-shaped flowers. Native to dry thorn forests of Oaxaca, Mexico