Agave victoriae reginae - Queen Victorias Agave

Agave victoriae reginae, known as the Queen Victoria Agave, is a small botanical species first discovered in 1875, which has since had a remarkable career in exotic gardens and among collections of succulent plants. This plant forms a rosette of stiff, fairly light green leaves with white margins. This agave is not the hardiest, as it will perish at the first frost in damp soil. In full sun and rocky soil, planted on a south-facing slope, it will, however, withstand temperatures as low as -6° C (21.2° F). In warm regions, grow it in open ground in very well-drained soil that is never waterlogged. Elsewhere, plant it in a large pot, which will provide a beautiful display on a terrace or balcony during the summer months.

Native to western Mexico, Agave victoriae reginae grows at altitudes between 1200 m (3937 ft) and 1500 m (4921.3 ft). This slow-growing species is adapted to mild climates. It belongs to the Agave family, just like Yuccas. This perennial succulent herbaceous plant has rhizomes capable of producing suckers, but it reproduces more easily through its seeds. It is almost devoid of aerial stems. Its dense, perfectly round rosette will reach a height of 50 cm (19.7 in) and a diameter of 40 cm (15.7 in) at maturity. It consists of green, short and stout, stiff, triangular leaves without lateral spines but ending in a short, black, twisted spine, sometimes surrounded by small basal spines. The fairly hard white margins create very decorative arabesques. Young specimens are very different from adults, which over time become perfectly round plants with perfect geometry. When a rosette is mature, after many years, it produces a flowering stem that can reach a height of up to 5 m (16.4 ft). Horizontally branched, it bears flattened and spherical panicles of 5 cm (2 in) composed of cream-white flowers, sometimes tinged with purple, which, after pollination, will produce fruits containing the seeds. The rosette, referred to as semelparous, dies after this flowering, which lasts several months. One of the characteristics of this form is that it produces few or no small peripheral rosettes to ensure its perpetuity.

This collectible agave suits mild climates in a large rock garden, on a south-facing slope, or at the edges of a dry garden, where its remarkable silhouette will stand out beautifully against a minimalist, mineral decor, punctuated by a few wild grasses such as Stipa ichu or Stipa gigantea. It can be planted with Prickly Pear, giant fennel, and hardy cactus candles (Cleistocactus strausii, Cylindropuntia imbricata). This agave can also be cultivated in a pot on a terrace, among a collection of cacti, by carefully choosing the sunniest spot and ensuring it is protected from winter rains. In this way, you can recreate a garden reminiscent of those that flourish on the other side of the world!

The Agave is also an edible plant, with which mescal, an alcoholic beverage obtained by fermenting its juice rich in sugars, is made in Mexico. It is also used in traditional medicine in Mexico, Brazil, and India, and has proven antifungal properties. The inflorescences are very attractive to numerous pollinating insects.