Asparagaceae
Agave
Agave americana

Agave americana subsp. americana

This subspecies is accepted
The native range of this subspecies is Arizona to S. Texas and Mexico. It is a succulent perennial and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Distribution

Native to:

Arizona, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southwest, Texas

Introduced into:

Albania, Algeria, Amsterdam-St.Paul Is., Argentina Northeast, Ascension, Assam, Azores, Baleares, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil Southeast, Cambodia, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Cayman Is., Chad, China South-Central, China Southeast, Colombia, Comoros, Corse, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Aegean Is., Ecuador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Free State, Gilbert Is., Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, India, Italy, Juan Fernández Is., Korea, Kriti, KwaZulu-Natal, Leeward Is., Lesotho, Libya, Madeira, Marianas, Mexico Southeast, Morocco, Myanmar, Nansei-shoto, Nauru, New Caledonia, New South Wales, New Zealand North, New Zealand South, Norfolk Is., Ogasawara-shoto, Pakistan, Palestine, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Queensland, Rwanda, Sardegna, Sicilia, Spain, St.Helena, Swaziland, Tasmania, Thailand, Trinidad-Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, West Himalaya, Windward Is., Yugoslavia

Synonyms

Heterotypic Synonyms

Classification

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Publications

POWO follows these authorities in accepting this name:

  • Govaerts, R.H.A. (2011). World checklist of selected plant families published update Facilitated by the Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • (2021). https://doi.org/10.20324/nelumbo/v63/2021/165154. epublication.
  • Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2012). Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98: 1-1192.
  • Akhter, R. & Ghazanfar, S.A. (1984). Flora of Pakistan 156: 1-10. Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi.
  • Baksh-Comeau, Y., Maharaj, S.S., Adams, C.D., Harris, S.A., Filer, D.L. & Hawthorne, W.D. (2016). An annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Trinidad and Tobago with analysis of vegetation types and botanical 'hotspots'. Phytotaxa 250: 1-431.
  • Barthelat, F. (2019). La flore illustrée de Mayotte: 1-687. Biotope éditions.
  • Bhellum, B.L. (2012). Flora exotica of Jammu and Kashmir (List- I). Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 36: 33-45.
  • Britton, N. (1918). Flora of Bermuda: 1-585. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York.
  • Brundu, G. & Camarda, I. (2013). The Flora of Chad: a checklist and brief analysis. PhytoKeys 23: 1-18.
  • Danton, P. & Perrier, C. (2004). Liste de la Flore vasculaire de l'île Robinson Crusoe archipel Juan Fernández, Chili. Journal de Botanique Société de Botanique de France 24: 67-78.
  • Davidse, G. & al. (eds.) (1994). Flora Mesoamericana 6: 1-543. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D.F.
  • Davis, P.H. (ed.) (1984). Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands 8: 1-632. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
  • Dobignard, D. & Chatelain, C. (2010). Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 1: 1-455. Éditions des conservatoire et jardin botaniques, Genève.
  • Dufour-Dror, J.M. & Fragman-Sapir, O. in Dufour-Dror, J.M. (2019). Alien Plant Species in Natural & Disturbed Areas in Israel. Alien Invasive Plants in Israel, ed. 2: 1-246. Dan Perry Pub., Nature & Parks Authority, Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection.
  • Dy Phon, P. (2000). Dictionnaire des plantes utilisées au Cambodge: 1-915. Chez l'auteur, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
  • Edwards, S., Demissew, S. & Hedberg, I. (eds.) (1997). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 6: 1-586. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.
  • Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2002). Flora of North America North of Mexico 26: 1-723. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
  • Fosberg, F.R. & Sachet, M.-H. (1987). Flora of the Gilbert Island, Kiribati, Checklist. Atoll Research Bulletin 295: 1-33.
  • Fosberg, F.R., Sachet, M.-H., Oliver, R. (1987). A Geographical Checklist of the Micronesian Monocotyledonae. Micronesica; Journal of the College of Guam 20: 19-129.
  • Fournet, J. (2002). Flore illustrée des phanérogames de Guadeloupe et de Martinique 2: 1325-2538. Gondwana editions.
  • George, A.S. (ed.) (1986). Flora of Australia 46: 1-247. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.
  • Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds.) (2003). Plants of Southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14.: i-vi, 1-1231. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  • Hammel, B.E. & al. (2003). Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica 2: 1-694. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.
  • Healey, A.J. & Edgar, E. (1980). Flora of New Zealand 3: 1-220. R.E.Owen, Government Printer, Wellington.
  • Jafri, S.M.H. & El-Gadi, A. (eds.) (1986). Flora of Libya 121: 1-19. Al-Faateh University, Tripoli.
  • Jørgensen, P.M. & León-Yánes, S. (eds.) (1999). Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Ecuador: 1-1181. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.
  • Karthikeyan, S., Jain, S.K., Nayar, M.P. & Sanjappa, M. (1989). Florae Indicae Enumeratio: Monocotyledonae: 1-435. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta.
  • Kobayashi, S. & Ono, M. (1987). A Revised List of Vascular Plants Indigenous and Introduced to the Bonin (Ogasawara) and the Volcano (Kazan) Islands. Ogasawara Research 13: 1-55.
  • Lee, W.T. (1996). Lineamenta Florae Koreae: 1-1688. Soul T'ukpyolsi: Ak'ademi Sojok.
  • Lisowski, S. (2009). Flore (Angiospermes) de la République de Guinée. Scripta Botanica Belgica 41: 1-517.
  • MacKee, H.S. (1994). Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie, ed. 2: 1-164. Museum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris.
  • Orchard, A.E. (ed.) (1994). Oceanic Islands 1. Flora of Australia 49: 1-681. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.
  • Packer, J.E. (1974). Ascension Handbook. A concise guide to Ascension Island South Atlantic ed. 2 Packer, Georgetown.
  • Smith, A.C. (1979). Flora Vitiensis Nova. A new flora for Fiji (Spermatophytes only) 1: 1-495. Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai.
  • Smitinand, T. & Larsen, K. (eds.) (1978). Flora of Thailand 1: 1-694. The Forest Herbarium, National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, Bangkok.
  • Stace, C. (2019). New Flora of the British Isles ed. 4: 1-1266. C & M Floristics.
  • Tanaka, N., Koyama, T. & Murata, J. (2005). The flowering plants of Mt. Popa, central Myanmar - Results of Myanmar-Japanese joint expeditions, 2000-2004. Makinoa 5: 1-102.
  • Thaman, R.R., Fosberg, F.R., Manner, H.I. & Hassall, D.C. (1994). The Flora of Nauru. Atoll Research Bulletin 392: 1-223.
  • Walker, E.H. (1976). Flora of Okinawa and the Southern Ryukyu Islands: 1-1159. Smithsonian Insitition Press, Washington.
  • Zhengyi, W. & Raven, P.H. (eds.) (2000). Flora of China 24: 1-431. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.
  • Zuloaga, F.O. & Morrone, O. (eds.) (1996). Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae y Angiospermae (Monocotyledoneae). Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares de la República Argentina 1: 1-323. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis.
  • de Salas, MF, Baker, ML (2022). A Census of the Vascular Plants of Tasmania, including Macquarie Island: 1-161. Tasmanian Herbarium, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart. https://flora.tmag.tas.gov.au/resources/census/.

Other Data

Other Kew resources that provide information on this taxon:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
s.coll. [s.n.] Italy Agave americana var. picta K002171416 Yes
Palmer, E.; Watson, S. [1308] Mexico Agave americana var. picta K002171421 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Italy Agave americana var. picta K002171418 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Italy Agave americana var. picta K002171417 Yes
{Greenway} [3678] Agave americana var. picta K002171415 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Italy Agave americana var. picta K002171420 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Italy Agave americana var. picta K002171419 Yes
Britto, S.J. [41512] India Agave americana var. marginata K002171040 Yes
Britto, S.J. [41512] India Agave americana var. marginata K002171039 Yes
Stapf, O. [s.n.] Agave milleri K002171010 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Agave milleri K002171011 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Agave milleri K002171012 Yes

Sources

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images