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Manfreda maculosa

 
Manfreda maculosa
Four-year-old plant growing in our rock garden zone
deciduous agave
Manfreda maculosa
First-year seedlings, in late October

Common name deciduous agave
Family agavaceae
Life cycle perennial (Z7-9)
Flowers pale pink (summer)
Size 24"
Light sun-part shade
Cultural notes well-drained soil
From seed Germinate at room temperature with exposure to light
detailed seed-starting info below

Rosettes, to one foot wide, of fleshy purple-spotted leaves. The rosettes stay low, the summer flower spikes rise well above. Sometimes referred to as deciduous agaves, which strikes me as odd because in our garden they remained evergreen even through the fierce freeze of 2021. In any case, manfredas do not feature the fearsome spines of true agaves. Native to southern Texas and Mexico.
Our seedlings didn't show any sign of spots, so I wasn't sure if it was the right thing – but by early March of the following year, some speckling developed. In the few following years, our main plant grew somewhat more robust, but nowhere near the size it might eventually attain. Finally, in April of its fourth year, it sent up a flower spike, and proceeded to bloom starting in mid-May. Flowers open up from the bottom of the spike upwards, each starting a creamy white and maturing to a dusky purple.

deciduous agave
Speckling evident early spring of second year
Manfreda maculosa
Three-year-old plant – slow-growing
deciduous agave
Impressive underground base and root cluster
Manfreda maculosa
Four-year-old plant sending up a flower-spike in late April
deciduous agave

In our garden, this plant grows in the following areas: left fence border, rock garden zone

About my plant portraits
PlantLinks to other web pages about Manfreda maculosa


Seed-starting details for this plant

  1. Seed from NARGS '17/'18 exchange. Baggy 70F with light (95%G, 10-13d)


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