Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 20, 2026

Agave stricta

Agave stricta, the hedgehog agave, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to Puebla and Oaxaca in Southern Mexico. Growing to 50 cm (20 in) tall, it is an evergreen succulent with rosettes of narrow spiny leaves producing erect racemes, 2 m (7 ft) long, of reddish purple flowers in summer. The foliage may develop a red tinge in the summer.

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Jul 20, 2026
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Agave stricta
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Spermatophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Agavoideae
Genus: Agave
Species:
A. stricta
Binomial name
Agave stricta
Synonyms23
  • Agave echinoides Jacobi
  • Agave striata var. echinoides Baker
  • Agave striata fo. stricta (Salm-Dyck) Voss
  • Agave striata subsp. stricta (Salm-Dyck) B.Ullrich
  • Agave striata var. stricta (Salm-Dyck) Baker
  • Agave striata var. stricta (Salm-Dyck) Voss
  • Bonapartea stricta (Salm-Dyck) Vukot.

Agave stricta, the hedgehog agave, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to Puebla and Oaxaca in Southern Mexico.4 Growing to 50 cm (20 in) tall, it is an evergreen succulent with rosettes of narrow spiny leaves producing erect racemes, 2 m (7 ft) long, of reddish purple flowers in summer.56 The foliage may develop a red tinge in the summer.

The Latin specific epithet stricta means erect, or upright.7

As this plant is known to produce pincushion-like offsets, or "pups", as it grows8—an unusually polycarpic trait among the Agaves (a highly monocarpic group of plants)—a team of Mexican biologists and botanists proposed the formation of a new genus, Echinoagave, in January 2024. This would lead to a new (or synonymous) genus and species name of Echinoagave stricta, in addition to the potential reclassifying of ten or eleven other species.9 Other species considered for placement into Echinoagave include Agave albopilosa and Agave striata. The name is derived from the Greek word for "spiny", echînos.9

Similarly to many succulents, A. stricta thrives on air flow, good lighting, and well-drained, mostly inert substrates, and may develop root rot if overwatered.10 With a minimum preferred temperature of 10 °C (50 °F), this plant requires dry and well-lit conditions, ranging from room-temperature to warm, during winter in temperate regions; in appropriate climates, it may be grown outdoors in full- or part-sun year-round, or during the spring and summer months, provided that excessive precipitation does not flood its roots. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.1112

References

References

  1. García-Mendoza, A.J.; Sandoval-Gutiérrez, D.; Torres-García, I.; Casas, A. (2019). "Agave stricta". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019 e.T115698101A116354518. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T115698101A116354518.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. Tropicos, Agave stricta
  3. The Plant List, Agave stricta
  4. Salm-Reifferscheid-Dyck, Joseph Franz Maria Anton Hubert. Bonplandia 7: 94. 1859.
  5. RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1-4053-3296-5.
  6. Gentry, Howard Scott. Agaves of Continental North America. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 1982.
  7. Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. p. 224. ISBN 978-1-84533-731-5.
  8. "Agave stricta". BBC Gardeners' World Magazine. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  9. Bock, Gerhard (29 March 2024). "Echinoagave, Paleoagave, Paraagave, oh my". Succulents and More. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  10. Christina (2019-04-12). "How To Grow Agave Stricta". Inside Herb Gardens. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  11. "RHS Plant Selector - Agave stricta". Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  12. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). www.rhs.org. Royal Horticultural Society. November 2018. p. 3. Retrieved 27 February 2020.