– Agave victoria-reginae (2015)

By Eric Driskill (October 2015)

Agave victoria-reginae was named after Queen Victoria. The plants are extremely dense, with tight, regular rosettes of hard, triangular leaves marked with white from 20 to 30 inches wide. The white markings make this species immediately recognizable.

The white markings on the leaves are variable, but are most often thick. They form a triangle on the surface of a leaf, most often ending a few inches below the terminal spine, where they unite to become a single white line continuing to the terminal spine.

The margin is smooth, with a hard, white, horny border. Leaves terminate with one to three stiff, black spines up to 1 inch long.

Agave victoriae-reginae grows in the Mexican states of Coahuila, Durango and Nuevo Leon. The plants grow best in full sun and are known to tolerate temperatures to at least 10 degrees F. There are many varieties in the hobby, from the standard form described above to more compact forms and a few variegated forms.