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[2nd Image]
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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Agavaceae (now Asparagaceae) |
| Origin: Mexico (North America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Red/Purple Foliage: Yes |
| Bloomtime: Infrequent |
| Synonyms: [Agave 'Blood Spot', Manfreda 'Blood Spot'] |
| Parentage: (Agave macroacantha x Manfreda maculosa?) |
| Height: 1 foot |
| Width: 1-2 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F |
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x Mangave 'Bloodspot' - A compact succulent that typically forms a non-suckering compact rosette to 12 inches tall by 15 inches wide with upright 8 inch long by 1 inch wide gray-green leaves that have a fine-toothed margin edged with maroon and are speckled with spots of the same color. This plant is considered by some to be non-suckering and monocarpic so completely dying after flowering but others have reported that the flowering rosette can live past the flowering event and that it will also occasionally sucker new rosettes to provide additional longevity - we are not sure on this ourselves and welcome other's observations. Plant in full sun to light shade in a relatively well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally. This plant came onto the horticultural scene in California in 2008 so we are still discovering its drought tolerance and cold hardiness Given this plant's parentage we speculate that it will likely be hardy in most coastal California gardens and should be able to get by with only limited irrigation. There are some good reports on Xeric World that indicate that it has tolerated temperatures down to 26° F with moist soils in Monterey County (by Richard Pontius) - good to distinguish this as some succulents seem much more prone to problems in our mediterranean climate with its cool and moist winter than just cold weather. Greg Starr in Tucson also indicated that it has tolerated temperatures down to 22° F for him. This compact plant is one of the most attractive of the smaller Agaves and is great in a container or planted out in the garden. The origin of this apparent Agave x Manfreda hybrid is a bit of a mystery but the plant is believed to be a Agave macroacantha hybrid with Manfreda maculosa that may have originated in Japan. In the recent treatment in "Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants; Moncotyledons" edited by Urs Eggli (2001) Joachim Thiede, the author on the Agavaceae, combined Polianthes (Tuberose) and Manfreda into Agave, thus making the Mangave actually an interspecific Agave hybrid - for now we will leave it as x Mangave but note that this plant is sometimes listed as Agave hybrid 'Bloodspot' or 'Blood Spot'. We also grow a larger plant with somewhat similar parentage called x Mangave 'Macho Mocha'.
We thank Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery for the use of his image of this unusual and attractive plant.
Information displayed on this page about Mangave 'Bloodspot' is based on the research conducted about it in our library and from reliable online resources. We also note those observations we have made of this plant as it grows in the nursery's garden and in other gardens, as well how crops have performed in our nursery field. We will incorporate comments we receive from others, and welcome to hear from anyone who may have additional information, particularly if they share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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