Dragon tree agave

Dragon tree agave
Gooseneck agave ( Agave attenuata )
Systematics
Order : Asparagales (Asparagales) Family : Asparagaceae (Asparagaceae) Subfamily : Agave family (Agavoideae) Genre : Agaves ( agave ) Subgenus : Littaea Type : Dragon tree agave
Scientific name
Agave attenuata
Salm-Dyck

Dragon tree agave inflorescence

Fruits and seeds

The dragon tree agave ( Agave attenuata ) is a species of plant of the genus Agave ( Agave ) in the subfamily of the agave family (Agavoideae). Due to the shape of its inflorescence, it is also known as the gooseneck agave .

description

The dragon tree agave is a perennial succulent plant. Over many years it develops one or more upright, thick, up to 1.5 meters high trunks, at the top of which a leaf rosette spreads. The numerous, egg-shaped and pointed leaves are somewhat softer than in most agave species, they are light glaucous gray to light yellowish green and thornless. They become 50 to 70 inches long and 12 to 16 inches wide. The leaf margin is smooth or finely serrated. After many years the often curved inflorescence develops, which is up to 3.5 meters high and has densely packed, greenish-yellow flowers.

The 'Nerva' variety has blue-green leaves.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 60.

Distribution and systematics

The dragon tree agave is common in the Mexican states of Jalisco , Michoacán and México at altitudes of 1900 to 2500 meters on rocks in pine forests. But you can also find them in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands and Madeira .

The first description was in 1834 by Joseph zu Salm-Reifferscheidt-Dyck .

The following subspecies are distinguished:

• Agave attenuata subsp. attenuata
• Agave attenuata subsp. dentata (J.Verschaff.) B.Ullrich

Agave attenuata is a representative of the Serrulatae section . Due to the species that are similar to it, such as Agave bracteosa and Agave ellemeetiana , it should actually belong to the Choritepalae section . Together with the closely related species Agave gilbertii and Agave pedunculifera , it forms an independent group of broad-leaved species within the Serrulatae section .

proof

literature

• Gordon Cheers (Ed.): Botanica . Random House Australia 2003. German edition: Tandem Verlag GmbH 2003, ISBN 3-8331-1600-5 .
• Robert Zander : Zander concise dictionary of plant names. Edited by Fritz Encke , Günther Buchheim, Siegmund Seybold . 15th edition, corrected reprint of the 14th edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-8001-5072-7 .
• Joachim Thiede: Agave chamelensis . In: Urs Eggli (Hrsg.): Succulent lexicon. Monocotyledons . Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3662-7 , pp. 14-15 .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Tropicos. [1]
2. ↑ Hortus Dyckensis or directory of the plants growing in the botanical garden at Dyck . Arnz & Comp., Düsseldorf 1834 (online) .
3. ↑ Bernd Ullrich: Agave attenuata ssp. dentata (Roezl) Ullrich . In: Haseltonia . Number 12, 2006, pp. 22-30 ( doi : 10.2985 / 1070-0048 (2006) 12 [22: AASDRU] 2.0.CO; 2 ).
4. ↑ Howard Scott Gentry: Agaves of Continental North America . University of Arizona Press, 1982, p. 70.

Web links

Commons : Dragon Tree Agave ( Agave attenuata )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files