Pronounciation: A-GA-ve o-va-ti-FOL-ee-a

Hardiness zones
Sunset 12-24
USDA 7-10

Landscape Use: Strong gray accent, focal point for desert gardens; oasis and xeric landscape design themes. Great for use around desert and oasis ramadas and patios, even in large containers. Often effectively used in mass groupings spaced at 6 to 8 feet on center.

Form & Character: Solitary (non-offsetting) with a hemispherical rosette, broadly spreading, wide, exposed, stiff and pointed, gray, imposing.

Growth Habit: Evergreen, succulent and fibrous perennial, monocarpic, grows to anywhere from 2- to 4-feet tall by 3- to 5-feet across, eventual size much influenced by available water.

Foliage/Texture: Broad, straped-shaped leaves are presented in a regular rosette pattern, somewhat reflexed, succulent, glaucous gray to gray blue to 18-inches long. Leaves are coarsely serrate and taper to a distinct sharp, grayish black spiny tip; coarse texture.

Flowers & Fruits: Whale's tongue agave will produce a paniculate inflorescence that is about 10- to 14-feet tall and consists of several side branches (arborescent), each branch densely clustered with large, greenish yellow flowers, can produce bulbils in urban conditions.

Seasonal Color: None, except when flowering.

Temperature: Very cold hardy to 5^oF, but also tolerant of Phoenix desert heat.

Light: In Phoenix, the filtered shade of a small desert tree from summer western sun is preferred. Otherwise, leaves will yellow a bit if grown under the full, intense summer sun.

Soil: Well-drained soils are ABSOLUTELY required.

Watering: Apply only occasional water once established. It readily responds to water by increasing growth and eventual size - just before it dies due to root rot.

Pruning: None

Propagation: Seed, bubiles (if you can find them on a reproductive stalk).

Disease and Pests: Yes, all agaves are prone to some root rot if soils are chronically wet, but the roots of whale's tongue agave are especially senstive and will assuredly rot if the growing soil is not well drained.

Additional comments: This is a striking and imposing medium-sized agave that's a real wimp when it comes to inadequate soil drainage....water lovers get ready for the stench of whale's tongue stem rot. As a landscape element, the gray color accent of the foliage is especially striking when juxapositioned to nearby landscape greenery.

Horticultural extra: Agave ovatifolia ‘Vanzie’ from Ranchotissue Technologies is noted for its uniformly glaucous blue-colored foliage with deep channels or cups.