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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Agavaceae (now Asparagaceae) |
| Origin: Mexico (North America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Bloomtime: Infrequent |
| Synonyms: [Agave univittata cv.] |
| Height: 2-3 feet |
| Width: Spreading |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): No Irrigation required |
| Winter Hardiness: 15-20° F |
| May be Poisonous (More Info): Yes |
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Agave lophantha 'Ruth's Gray Sword' (Ruth's Century Plant) - A distinctive and attractive agave to about 2 feet tall with rosettes of narrow upright gray leaves. Plant in full sun to moderate shade in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally to very little. Reported to be hardy down to or even below 0°F. This very attractive plant came to us simply as Agave lophantha from the Ruth Bancroft garden but it is not typical of the species so we gave it the name 'Ruth's Gray Sword'. Ruth Bancroft curator Brian Kemble informed us that their accession records indicate that they received the plant in 1965 from a Richards Nursery that was located in Hayward California but is no longer in existence. For agave nomenclature we use the treatment of the genus done by Joachim Thiede (University of Hamburg) in the Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Monocotyledons (edited by Urs Eggli) and Agave lophantha is listed as current in this treatment and is also the name John Pilbeam used in his A Gallery of Agaves, published by the British Cactus and Succulent Society in 2013 but the Flora of North America that notes that Agave univittata Haworth is the correct name noting that "The name Agave lophantha was mentioned by C. J. W. Schiede (Linnaea 4: 582. 1829) without a description. C. S. Kunth (Enum. Pl. 5: 838. 1850) validated the name, but not before A. univittata was proposed. Neither name is typified nor is any authentic material known. H. S. Gentry (1982) incorrectly retained A. lophantha and it is now widely used. A. J. Breitung (1959) was the first to adopt A. univittata, and that name is taken up here.". We however continued to use the name Agave lophantha for this plant when we grew it from 2009 through 2012.
This information about Agave lophantha 'Ruth's Gray Sword' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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