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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Agavaceae (now Asparagaceae) |
| Origin: Cuba (North America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Green Yellow |
| Bloomtime: Infrequent |
| Height: 2-4 feet |
| Width: 3-4 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 30-32° F |
| May be Poisonous (More Info): Yes |
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Agave brittoniana (Cuban Agave) - A medium sized agave with open rosettes of a uniform medium green colored leaves with recurved reddish tipped teeth along the margins and a dark ebony colored terminal spine that is grooved at its base and ages to a mahogany color. Plant in full to part sun with occasional irrigation in a near frost free location - actual hardiness of this plant is not yet known but we suspect it to be tender. This good looking agave has not been cultivated much outside of its native Cuba, so little is known how it will grow in our California gardens. This is a Caribbean species of agave that is widespread through Cuba where it is quite variable in form and leaf color. The specific epithet honors American botanist Dr. Nathaniel Lord Britton (1859-1934), the first director of the New York Botanic Garden and co-author with Joseph Nelson Rose of The Cactaceae. We were encouraged to grow this plant by the Huntington Botanic Gardens, who released in in 2015 through their International Succulent introduction program as Agave brittoniana ISI 2015-13. These plants were propagated in the laboratory by micropropagation techniques (AKA tissue culture) from a single clone accessioned by the Huntington Botanic Gardens as HBG 71269 that was grown from seed received from the Cuba National Botanical Garden. Pictures of this plant on our website courtesy of the Huntington Botanic Gardens.
The information about Agave brittoniana 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. |
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