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Products > Beschorneria septentrionalis
 
Beschorneria septentrionalis - False Agave

Note: This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use.  

 
Habit and Cultural Information
Category: Succulent
Family: Agavaceae (now Asparagaceae)
Origin: Mexico (North America)
Evergreen: Yes
Flower Color: Red
Bloomtime: Summer
Height: 3-5 feet
Width: 2-3 feet
Exposure: Cool Sun/Light Shade
Summer Dry: Yes
Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs
Winter Hardiness: 10-15° F
Beschorneria septentrionalis (False Agave) - A succulent with 2 foot tall by 2 to 3 feet wide rosettes of many glossy gray-green 4 inch wide lanceolate 3 foot long leaves that arch over gracefully. In spring appear the spear-like flower spikes that eventually branches and rises to 4 to 5 feet tall, flushes a deep reddish pink and holds many dangling long bell-shaped flowers of the same color with green petal tips. The stems fade to green in later summer while holding onto red tinged seed pods. Plant in full coastal sun to bright shade in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally in summer (more regularly in full sun). Cold hardy to at least 10°F and useful in USDA Zones 7 (with some protection) and above. This plant is a unique addition to the meadow or succulent garden and its flowers are attractive to hummingbirds. Beschorneria septentrionalis is native to northeastern Mexican states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo León where it grows in mountainous dry woodlands. The genus was named in honor of Friedrich Wilhelm Christian Beschorner (1806-73), a German amateur botanist. The specific epithet is Latin meaning "of the north" in reference to this plants origins further to the north than other species. Our plants from seed collected in 2019 from a cultivated plant growing at the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, California. 

The information about Beschorneria septentrionalis that is displayed on this web page is based on research conducted in our nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We will also include observations made about this plant as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens that we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We also incorporate comments that we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they share cultural information that aids others growing this plant.

 
San Marcos Growers, established in 1979, will close at the end of 2025 so that the property can be developed for affordable housing.
 
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