Agave stricta aka Hedgehog Agave

Agave stricta is a succulent from Mexico that stays green year-round. It is part of Asparagaceae, the asparagus family. Gardeners call it hedgehog agave or needle leaf agave. Its home range includes Puebla and Oaxaca's Tehuacan Valley. It grows on dry hills and open desert flats. Records also place it on limestone slopes in dry woods and scrub. Useful Tropical Plants lists its status as Least Concern. Farming, mining and plant collection still affect its home range.

The plant forms dense, round rosettes of stiff, narrow leaves. A rosette is a cluster of leaves around one centre. RHS gives garden height and width as 0.3–1.6 feet [0.1–0.5 metres]. Other accounts give sizes up to 3.3 feet [1 metre] across and tall. Short, thick stems branch, with rosettes at their tips. Offsets, or new side shoots, can form groups over time. Leaves may be yellow-green, dark green or blue-green. Each leaf tapers from a thick base to a sharp spine. The leaf edges have no teeth. Leaves reach about 1.3 feet [0.4 metres] long.

Small flowers crowd upright racemes, or spike-like clusters, above the leaves. They range from green to reddish brown or purple. LLIFLE gives the bloom season as July to September. It says the first blooms come at about eight to ten years. Some accounts give flower stem heights of 6.6–9.8 feet [2–3 metres]. Sources differ on what follows bloom. LLIFLE says rosettes branch and keep growing after bloom. Useful Tropical Plants says the rosette that blooms dies. RHS gives ten to twenty years to reach full size.

Give this plant soil that drains well and a sheltered site. RHS lists sand or loam, with acid or neutral soil. It calls for full sun outdoors. Under glass, it calls for bright light through a filter. Use cactus compost for plants grown in a greenhouse. Give modest amounts of water during growth. Then keep it nearly dry in winter. Feed with balanced liquid fertiliser during growth, every two or three weeks. RHS rates it H2, so protect it from freezing. LLIFLE says it can cope with drought. When dry, it can also cope with brief cold near −4°C.

Its bold rosettes suit gravel gardens, courtyards and warm coastal sites. RHS also lists gardens with Mediterranean climates. It needs no pruning, but scale insects may attack it. RHS reports few problems with disease. Take offsets in spring or autumn to make new plants. Wear gloves to handle it, as it can irritate skin. It can also harm cats and dogs that eat it. Useful Tropical Plants lists cooked flower buds as food. It also lists dried plants as fuel, with no known medicinal use.