Agave atrovirens

Brian Kemble · #1 (**permalink**) 01-06-2010, 10:26 PM

Agave atrovirens var. mirabilis

We found Agave atrovirens to be quite common at higher altitudes south of Orizaba, Veracruz, with only green plants seen initially as we proceeded uphill, and then glaucous ones appearing as we climbed higher. However, the green and glaucous were mixed in together in many spots, so that it would seem impossible to uphold A. atrovirens var. mirabilis (the name used in Gentry’s book for the glaucous ones) as a valid variety. But by any name, these are stunning plants! We saw plants in Veracruz to the west of Zongolica, and then saw them later on the west side of the mountains in Puebla, to the northeast of Tehuacan. The attached photos are of plants in Veracruz, west of Zongolica near the Puebla border, at a high altitude where glaucous plants predominated.

Agave atrovirens in Puebla

Here is another set of photos, showing Agave atrovirens on the Puebla side of the border, east of San Bernardino Lakes (this is in the mountains northeast of Tehuacan). Note #010, with a green plant growing side-by-side with a glaucous one. Photo #014 shows a plant coming into flower, and photo # 015 shows a juvenile plant. I should have included a photo with a person in it to give the scale; mature plants are about 6 to 7 feet high.

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