Century Plant 'Marginata' (Agave angustifolia)

Century Plant 'Marginata'
Agave angustifolia

A small offset, just added to my garden.

HI Xenomorf,
IPNI lists the following variants of A. angustifolia and the name you have on this plant does not appear to be validly published. What distinguishes it from A. angustifolia var. marginata? i await your response with interest, Kaelkitty.

Agave angustifolia Haw. -- Syn. Pl. Succ. 1: 72. 1812 (GCI) & (IK)

Agave angustifolia var. deweyana (Trel.) Gentry -- Agaves Cont. N. Amer. 564. 1992 (GCI) & (IK)

Agave angustifolia var. letonae (F.W.Taylor ex Trel.) Gentry -- Agaves Cont. N. Amer. 564. 1982 (GCI) & (IK)

Agavaceae Agave angustifolia var. marginata Gentry -- Agaves Cont. N. Amer. 564. 1982 (GCI)

Agavaceae Agave angustifolia var. nivea (Trel.) Gentry -- Agaves Cont. N. Amer. 566. 1982 (GCI) & (IK)

Agavaceae Agave angustifolia Haw. var. pes-mulae (Trel.) Valenz.-Zap. & Nabhan -- Tequila Nat. Cult. Hist. 101. 2003

Agavaceae Agave angustifolia var. rubescens Gentry -- Agaves Cont. N. Amer. 566. 1982 (GCI)
recently republished as -
Agavaceae Agave angustifolia Haw. subsp. rubescens (Gentry) Valenz.-Zap. & Nabhan -- Tequila Nat. Cult. Hist. 101. 2003

Agavaceae Agave angustifolia Haw. var. sargentii Trel. -- Rep. (Annual) Missouri Bot. Gard. 22: 99, pl. 100-103. 1912 495 (GCI)

Agavaceae Agave angustifolia Haw. subsp. tequilana (F.A.C.Weber) Valenz.-Zap. & Nabhan -- Kaktus Klub 2004(1): 44, 50.

NB (GCI) = Gray's Card Index & (IK) = Index Kewensis.

(Three links didn't register correctly, so you can copy & paste the link into your browser)

I had the same question about Agave americana variegata & A. americana marginata years ago and never really found a definate answer to. Some sources said they were different and other sources said they were the same, but As you can see they are both listed in the PF.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=Agave&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=americana&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search

Probably not much distinguishes it from A. angustifolia var. marginata.
That's the way it was labeled, but one cannot always count on the label.
What I noticed about it was, the leaves were more flexible and rubbery than my other A. angustifolia var. marginata's.
I did notice that when I googled ["Agave angustifolia * variegata"], I got about 13 references online of the 'variegata', including the forma and cultivar epithets of it. (copy & paste link)

google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22Agave+angustifolia+*+variegata%22&btnG=Google+Search

One of these occurances are in Urs Eggli's book 2001, whom I revere to be one of the leading modern authorities in succulents, lists the 'variegata' as being originally published by Trelease (1908). (Don't know if Trelease published it validly or not)
As mentioned and compared in the book (Look under the A. vivipara 'Variegata' paragraph): (Copy & paste link)

books.google.com/books?id=1bjwYOO_Zt0C&pg=PA72&lpg=PA72&dq=%22agave+angustifolia+*+variegata%22&source=web&ots=lWdWhbhZaZ&sig=O_zznZF_k4hz8viuuWfIlzsjc6w#PPA72,M1

Here is says....."A. angustifolia var. variegata are transferred to A. vivipara as cultivars"...Which might be the new designation of it, (Copy & paste link)

links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0007-196X(199201%2F03)44%3A1%3C74%3ANVCIAV%3E2.0.CO%3B2-A

And if thats the case, then I found a description in the above link of Urs Eggli's book that says....
"Agave angustifolia v. variegata Trealease (1908). Differs from var. vivipara: with unusual broad marginal white stripe, remainder of the L silvery grey or milky. Representing a horticultural selection only, which is reported to have arisen in the Botanical Garden of the college of Science at Poona, India about 1895 (Gentry 1982: 567)."

Here it is listed as a cultivar of A. angustifolia, and the photo of it shows the leaves drooping over more flexible than the 'marginata' I have.
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.flora-toskana.de/onlineshop2/index.php%3FcName%3Dpflanzen-az-deutsch-a&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=15&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522Agave%2Bangustifolia%2B*%2Bvariegata%2522%26num%3D100%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

Don't know if I answered your question sufficiently, but thats the info I found on it.

Hi Xenomorph,
Thanks for the information, That is exactly what I wanted to know since I am trying to ID an unlabelled plant of obvious angustifolia lineage. I have obviously got the commoner var marginata, not this plant. Alas my personal library sources are somewhat older than yours - I have Jacobsen's three volume monster, and the Five volumes produced by Edgar and Brian Lamb in the 1970s & 80s. That is why I tend to rely on whatever online sources I can find. With regards to Agave, I really want a copy of Gentry's book "Agaves of Continental North America" but the cheapest copy I can find on the Internet at present would end up costing me about $60 Australian and that is out of my price range for the moment, Sigh!

Do you ever visit Agavaceae.com - these guys are on a personal mission to find every known Agave and Agave relative in Habitat - their photo's are fabulous. Sometimes it is truly eye opening to see just how different some of the plants can be when they are not being pampered by humans! Kaelkitty.

I just took a look at Agavaceae.com and it's database, it looks like a very informative website. One thing I noticed written at the top of thier database page was....."Scientifically valid species of the genus AGAVE (without taxonomically unresolved species)"
And I noticed that Agave angustifolia is not listed as a basionym, which I would presume that it's taxonomic status hasn't been resolved yet (unless it has been classified as a synonym now).

I've had the pleasure of going on a few botanizing excursions to southern Arizona and finding and photographing about 4 or 5 native species of Agave. Great experience finding the plants out in the wild instead of just seeing them in books and in nurseries, etc.

Re: Gentry's book "Agaves of Continental North America"
I went to Bookfinder.com and found a few books for about $40 USA dollars, New and Used.
(Don't know what that would translate into Australian $$). I agree, this is a very valuable book to have for Agave, I wouldn't mind getting one for myself soon. Since the book was published, there have been more Agave's discovered and named.