Foxtail agave

Native to central Mexico, Agave attenuata is a perennial succulent. It has a thick stem (up to 150 cm in length) crowned with a rosette of thick, soft, fleshy, pale green, pointed, leaves. On this rosette pictured, leaves were 50 cm long and 15 cm wide.

The central stem will also sprout other rosettes in time.

It takes up to 10 years to grow a tall flower spike, up to 3m tall, with clusters of very pretty creamy white bell shaped flowers in spring and summer.

comments (3)

Ferdy Christant

Lion

Very stylish capture! Your description got me curious, so went looking for an image to demonstrate its full size:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/09/6d/cf/096dcfe888a27a98333749bbdf9f0ead.jpg Posted 5 years ago
1. Ruth Spigelman
  
  Lion
  
  Yes, I wondered as I was posting, if this was too much of an artful shot for a natural history website! I see these so often around here, I've never thought to take a standard shot of them - always on the look out for unique presentations. Glad this was ok, thanks Ferdy. Posted 5 years ago
2. 1. Ferdy Christant
    
    Lion
    
    I encourage to do both, if possible. Clearly many if not most JD members not just photograph in a dry style, to simply register details, they try to both register the details and present the species in an attractive way, by pose, light, composition, etc. I love and cherish this culture where science and art are combined.
    
    As for this particular image, first, the composition is stunning. One of the hardest skills to learn, some never learn it (me) yet you consistently demonstrate it. Inspiring!
    
    As for the choice of black and white, artistically a solid choice. There is the valid point though that black and white would make it more difficult and sometimes impossible to use as an aid in future identifications. Luckily, you already present the solution: upload multiple shots, angles, stages, etc. There's no need to chose, we can simply do both :)
    
    Your choice of course, just saying multiple photos of the same species is exactly what we want and need, it more richly describes the species. Posted 5 years ago

The Lion's tail

"Agave attenuata" is a species of agave sometimes known as the lion's tail, swan's neck, or foxtail for its development of a curved inflorescence, unusual among agaves. Native to the plateau of the State of Jalisco in central Mexico, as one of the unarmed agaves, it is popular as an ornamental plant in gardens.

Info 4 0

Similar species: Agaves, Aloes, Onions

Species identified by Ruth Spigelman