Agave kerchovei

Agave kerchovei is a Mexican botanical species of medium size and slow growth. This plant forms a rosette of medium green to greyish stiff leaves, with a slightly lighter midrib on top. Very elongated and not very wide, the leaves give an airy appearance to the rosette. Garnished with grey spines on their edges, they end in a tapered point. Relatively hardy, this species will withstand temperatures around -12°C (10.4°F) in well-drained soil, which allows it to acclimatise in many regions. In colder areas, it will be possible to cultivate it in a large pot to protect it from frost in winter. 

Agaves are part of the Asparagaceae family (formerly Agavaceae), just like yuccas or tuberose. There are about 270 species of agaves that grow naturally in Central America and the Caribbean (Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, Antilles), further south in Colombia, and further north in the United States (California, Arizona).

Agave kerchovei is native to the south of the Sierra Madre Oriental, a mountain range that begins at the border with Texas and stretches for over 1300km (808mi) to the south. Arid at higher altitudes, the climate south of this mountain range is more humid, with annual rainfall exceeding 500mm (20in) and sometimes reaching 800mm (32in). This species coexists with other succulent plants such as columnar cacti, Neobuxbaumia, and other plants adapted to this hot climate.

This slow-growing perennial reaches about 1.2m (4ft) tall and 1m (3ft) in diameter when fully grown. Relatively few in number in the juvenile stage, the number of leaves increases regularly with age, and in very old individuals, it can reach a hundred. The leaves are generally medium green, but there are darker variants, including green-grey and even a bluish clone. Curiously, the leaves partially turn reddish-purple when the plant is stressed. Mainly very stiff and straight, erect towards the sky, the leaves can also arch slightly, giving a visual flexibility to the large rosette. Their upper surface is often marked with a discreet slightly lighter midrib, while they are adorned with a grey-white margin all around. Sharp teeth of the same colour, which can measure more than 2cm (1in), are distributed quite sparsely along the edge. These spines are frequently curved or sinuate, but can remain neatly perpendicular to the leaf blade. In any case, they add to the ornamental character of this agave.

It can produce basal offsets. Some individuals do not produce any offsets, while others regularly produce them throughout their life. This allows them to survive flowering, which marks the end of the main plant after many years of cultivation. A huge and spectacular flowering stalk several metres tall develops, bearing dozens of yellow flowers. The rosette, referred to as semelparous, dies after this flowering, which lasts several months. 

In mild climates, Agave kerchovei will find its place in a large rock garden, a south-facing slope, or in a dry garden, where its silhouette will create an exotic scene. Plant it with other plants from arid regions, such as Yucca aloifolia, which quickly forms large and magnificent specimens when they bloom with large spikes covered in white bells. Of more modest size, but with an equally attractive flowering, Hesperaloe parviflora 'Rubra' is an excellent perennial for dry areas, with a tuft of slender leaves adorned with graceful flowering spikes in a delightful salmon-red colour. And to enjoy a beautiful yellow flowering, add Aloe striatula, a species with astonishing hardiness and relatively fast growth, which will give you a magnificent clump in a few years.

Agave is an edible plant, used in Mexico to make mescal, an alcoholic beverage obtained by fermenting its sugar-rich juice. It is also used in traditional medicine in Mexico, Brazil, and India for its supposed anti-fungal properties. The inflorescences are highly attractive to many pollinating insects.