Agave talk & pictures

[Patrick]

Beautiful plants Tina and quite a difference, how do you know they don't like the black top dressing and in what way?

[Tina]

I put it on a couple of different plants and look unhappy- colour loss, a bit stressed, cactus & succulents, slowly taking it off again & a bit of fresh soil, they will be fine. I like aquarium gravel as there no sharp stones but black gravel looks good as a top dressing. I don't top dress all plants.

[edds]

They are lovely plants Tina but isn't the one on the right a 'Kichiokan'?
The vertical growth of the rosette and merged spines at the end of the leaf look just like other plants under that name. Lots of different leaf marking within that group though.

[WayneM]

I've got a few hybrids that could be interesting

Ovatifolia x salmiana, picture of the mother plant, not my smaller plant. Should be a tough agave for our climate.

Agave parryi x flexispina

So far a nice bluish seedlings Hopefully the parryi influence will make it hardier.

Looking forward to growing a hybrid called Azul Monterrey, a naturally occurring cross of parryi/ovatifolia ? Seen pictures ofca mature plant and looks a really good looking plan

I fully understand the purist views on naturally occurring hybrids, but personally speaking, some are just beautiful like Blue Brian, a cross between potatorum x parrasana. It's found its spot underneath my large montana and its developing into a good looking Agave.

Talking of blue , Agave celsii nova has been brought into the greenhouse just to protect it a little more than under the shelter.

Wayne

[Tina]

Hi Wayne,
Looking very healthy, love the celsii & blue Brian, he is still on my wish list

[NorfolkExotics]

The nova looks great, wish there had been more left at Wisley when I was there.

[Tina]

Hi Edd,
Not sure if separate photo's will show the difference but to get them together is a lot of moving about.
This is a fully grown kichiokan, maybe 30cm pan

The 'ice queen' is 40cm ( I think) and a beast, much bigger than kichiokan, I thought it might flower soon.
Its got whiter variegation not creamy yellow

[edds]

Thanks Tina and I don't blame you for not moving them! I can't even get to some of mine currently!

These are definitely distinct clones (with cracking crisp variegation on the Ice Queen - I shall have to keep my eye out for an Ice Queen! ) but I wonder if many of these different clones are like different forms of the same species/hybrid/variety? (With the joined up spine bases at the tips of the leaf and vertical growth habit.)

Those characteristics don't seem to match up well to an already described species so I was lumping them all as forms of 'Kichiokan' (which isn't very taxonomically correct, I know) until someone works out what that Agave actually is!

[Paul in Essex]

Those type of plants are not my thing but, wow, what beautifully grown and presented agaves!

[WayneM]

They are indeed beautiful looking specimens.

Its also made me smile with the name Ice Queen, I've see it as Ice Cream, Eye Scream, lol.

Wayne