Agaves are succulent plants whose characteristic blue-green leaf color even has its own name, well-known in art and interior design: agave green. Nevertheless, the different species are diverse not only in their shapes and sizes, but also in their colors.
What colors are agave plants?
Agaves show color variations in their leaves, such as blue-green, yellow, white-green or reddish-brown. Well-known variants are Agave americana 'Mediopicta', 'Mediopicta Alba', 'Variegata' and 'Marginata'. Other species have different leaf shapes and shades of green.
What color variations are there in agave?
In particular, the popular Agave americana and its crosses have produced various multicolored variants. These include, for example, these beautiful varieties:
- 'Mediopicta': leaves with a wide, yellow central band
- 'Mediopicta Alba': very light leaves with green serrations
- 'Variegata': blue-green leaves with yellow edges
- 'Marginata': yellow to pale green variegated leaves
However, the individual varieties of American agave differ only slightly in terms of size and growth habit. The Agave lophantha 'Quadricolor' has another interesting coloring with thick, white-green striped or yellow-colored leaves. The smaller Agave ferdinandi-regis, on the other hand, has red-brown leaf edges and an eye-catching pattern.
In what external characteristics do agaves differ?
Otherwise, the numerous species and varieties vary primarily in their shade of green as well as their growth habit and size. The leaves can also have very different shapes.
Interesting in this regard are species like
- Agave filifera: Stringy agave with green, very narrow and long leaves
- Agave leopoldii: narrow, elongated, green leaves with white stripes and white fibers
- Agave ferox: prickly agave with very wide, upright leaves
- Agave weberi: very wide, gray-green leaves
- Agave colorata: wide, large and strongly serrated leaves
- Agave attenuata: Dragon tree agave with green to yellow-green, elongated, wide leaves
- Agave geminiflora: very densely growing, narrow species with light threads
How can I propagate the colored agaves myself?
Particularly beautiful agaves can be easily propagated using their children, which you simply separate and plant separately in suitable soil. The small plants are cared for like their large mother plant.
That's why the plants can also be propagated using leaf cuttings, although this is a little more difficult. You can root the unrooted cuttings in a glass of water or place them in substrate and keep it slightly moist. However, propagation via seeds is not recommended: on the one hand, this is unlikely to succeed, and the beautiful coloring of some varieties is not passed on this way.
Tip
Cut offshoots when repotting
It is best to cut off the children or offshoots when repotting the agave with a sharp and clean knife. Basically, the succulent plants should be moved to a larger pot and fresh substrate about every two to three years.
