Plant in full sun to light shade in well-drained soil. Fairly drought tolerant in coastal gardens although performs best with occasional irrigation and requires it in hotter inland sites. Hardy to 10 F. It has a good tolerance to both heat and cold but not overly wet soils.

Agave bracteosa comes from the Coahuila Desert of the o the Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico, in the states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila and Nuevo León where it grows on shaded or semi-shade limestone cliffs between 3,000 and 5,500 feet. The name for the genus is one given by Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus. It comes from the Greek word 'agaue' (agauos or agavos) meaning "noble" or "splendid" and originates from Greek mythology. Agaue was the daughter of Cadmus, the king and founder of the city of Thebes, and of the goddess Harmonia. The name was first used by Linnaeus in 1753 when he described Agave americana. The specific epithet is from the Latin 'bractea' meaning "bract" in reference to the persistent bracts of the flowers. It is also commonly known as Spider Agave or Squid Agave.

We grew this fun agave from 2001 until 2017. Our original plants grown from seed purchased from Aztekakti Cacti and Succulent Seed of El Paso, Texas. It was from the original seed crops that we selected the hybrid plant we named Agave 'Mateo', which we introduced in 2009. 

The information about Agave bracteosa displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include 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 we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.