Scientific: Agave colorata
Common: mescal ceniza
Family: Asparagaceae (subfamily Agavoideae)
Origin: Found in palms canyons, desert scrub forests, and oak grassland forests of Sonora, Mexico.

Pronounciation: A-GA-ve ko-lo-RA-ta

Hardiness zones
Sunset 12-24
USDA 8-11

Landscape Use: This is an interesting, rather small, bold accent plant for small- and intermediate-size landscape gardens, desert gardens, mixed oasis or xeric landscape design themes. Smaller selections can be used as a patio container plant.

Form & Character: Variable in size, rosette like, upright and stiff with coarse, sharp leaf tips, arid.

Growth Habit: This is an evergreen, succulent, yet fibrous perennial. Because of horticultural selection, cultivated forms sold at plant nurseries are smaller than many found growing in native habitats. These cultivated forms grow only 2- to 4-feet tall with a similar width. Usually produces only a few basal offshoots, monocarpic (individual rosettes die after flowering in late spring and summer).

Foliage/Texture: Rigid, relatively broad succulent and fibrous grey-blue leaves tapering to a stiff, sharp point. Leaves often recurrent or cupped. Leaf margins bluntly arrayed with dark brown spiny teethed serrations; coarse texture.

Flowers & Fruits: Produces many yellow flowers on a thick 10-feet tall panicle stock.

Seasonal Color: None, except when flowering (and are you really going to wait around for that to happen?).

Temperature: Fully hardy in Phoenix. Cold tolerant to 17^oF.

Light: Full sun only.

Soil: Sandy or rocky, some loam, but overall well-drained with a slight alkaline chemistry.

Watering: Some supplemental water only occasionally during the summer. Supplemental water increases growth rate.

Pruning: None required.

Propagation: Division of basal offshoots.

Disease and Pests: Agave snout weevil (Scyphophorus acupunctatus) can attack variously most agave species in the low desert.

Additional comments: This is a very handsome small, extremely tough agave for difficult planting locations. Because of its relative cold hardiness, mescal ceniza can also be grown in colder southwestern cities such as Prescott, El Paso, St. George or Las Vegas.