Agave stricta Salm-Dyck
Rabo de león
Agave stricta is native to Mexico.
Plants: These agaves are said to resemble giant sea urchins or balled up hedgehogs. I’ll go with the hedgehog comparison. While most agaves contain a couple of dozen leaves, this one contains hundreds. They tend to grow in dense colonies. Plants are rounded mounds up to 2′ (60 cm) high and 3′ (1 m) around.
Leaves: 10–20″ long ⨉ ¼–½″ around (25–50 cm ⨉ 6.3–12 mm). In cross section, the skewerlike leaves are rhomboidal: like a skewed rectangle, but with top and bottom depressed.
Flowers: Crooked spikes up to 8′ (2.4 m) in height. The flowering spike is crooked, 5–8′ (1.5–2.4 m) tall, with reddish-purple flowers that bloom between July and August.
Fruits: Dehiscent capsules.
Habitats: Dry hills and on flats in the open desert.
Edibility: Flower buds are edible.
Online References:
References:
Irish, Mary & Irish, Gary, Agaves, Yuccas and Related Plants: A Gardener’s Guide, Timber Press, 2000, p. 168
4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland · ≈ 1 × 2′ (41 × 62 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Liliidae | Includes lilies, orchids, and many others |
| Order | Asparagales | A diverse group that includes asparagus |
| Family | Asparagaceae | Agaves, asparagus, hyacinths, and others |
| Genus | Agave | From Greek, meaning “noble” |
| Species | stricta | “Upright” |
Agave stricta description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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