Agave stricta
“Hedgehog Agave”

Agave stricta Hedgehog Agave Agave stricta Hedgehog Agave
Photos courtesy of Joshua Hincks

This unusual looking Agave obviously reminds some people of a balled-up hedgehog. Cute and prickly! An apt description, I’d say. Agave stricta grows to about 2’ tall and has many slender leaves that end in a spine. In summer the flower stalk will appear and grow to 6’ tall. The flowers vary from green to reddish brown. This Agave will form offshoots to create a colony of rosettes. Each rosette grows in a slightly different direction and reminds me of a freeze-frame photo of grasses blowing in the wind or of forests of anemones moving with the currents. Native to dry hills in Central Mexico, this plant is heat and drought tolerant. And deer resistant too, I might add.

Sun/Pt.Sun (coast)
Part shade (inland)
Low water
Perennial Succulent
Zones 7-10