Flora canaria > Especies silvestres
Agave ferox
Agave ferox C. Kochta
Familia
AGAVACEAE
Pitera espinosa, maguey espinoso, agave feroz
Agave ferox (botanically classified as Agave salmiana var. ferox), also commonly known as ‘ferocious agave’, ‘tame maguey’ or ‘pulque maguey’, is an imposing perennial succulent plant native to Mexico. It stands out as one of the largest varieties of agave and is highly prized in xerophytic landscaping for its sculptural silhouette and great hardiness.
It develops a large, compact basal rosette with no visible stem. A mature specimen can exceed 1.5 to 2 metres in height and spread to over 3 metres in diameter.
The leaves are fleshy, rigid and dark green to bluish-green in colour. They have strongly undulating edges bearing black, hook-shaped spines measuring around 3 cm. The apex of each leaf ends in a very rigid terminal spine that can measure up to 10 cm in length.
Monocarpic flowering: Like other agaves, it flowers only once in its lifetime when it reaches full maturity (between 10 and 25 years), after which the rosette dies. It produces a gigantic vertical inflorescence that can reach a height of 6 to 10 metres, covered in yellow flowers.
La Palma, Tenerife, Gran Canaria
Pitera espinosa, maguey espinoso, agave feroz
Agave ferox (botanically classified as Agave salmiana var. ferox), also commonly known as ‘ferocious agave’, ‘tame maguey’ or ‘pulque maguey’, is an imposing perennial succulent plant native to Mexico. It stands out as one of the largest varieties of agave and is highly prized in xerophytic landscaping for its sculptural silhouette and great hardiness.
It develops a large, compact basal rosette with no visible stem. A mature specimen can exceed 1.5 to 2 metres in height and spread to over 3 metres in diameter.
The leaves are fleshy, rigid and dark green to bluish-green in colour. They have strongly undulating edges bearing black, hook-shaped spines measuring around 3 cm. The apex of each leaf ends in a very rigid terminal spine that can measure up to 10 cm in length.
Monocarpic flowering: Like other agaves, it flowers only once in its lifetime when it reaches full maturity (between 10 and 25 years), after which the rosette dies. It produces a gigantic vertical inflorescence that can reach a height of 6 to 10 metres, covered in yellow flowers.
La Palma, Tenerife, Gran Canaria
