Agave ovatifolia

whale tongue agave
Whale’s tongue agave, aptly captures the blunted leaves of this glaucous blue agave. Leaves are thick and cupped. Solitary. Cold hardy.
Agave ovatifolia
height 2–5ft
width 3–7ft
tolerates Cold, Drought, Neglect, Wind
water
needs		 Low
water
info		 Agave are extremely drought tolerant, and many need no supplemental irrigation in coastal California. They will however look better and grow faster if they are given additional water, especially during summer. This agave will reputably stay smaller if water is withheld.
hardy
to		 5F
exposure Full Sun – Part Sun
indoor
outdoor		 Outdoor
drainage In Ground: Cactus Mix, In Pots: Cactus Mix, Tolerates Sandy Soil
fertilizing All Purpose, Low Needs
origin NE Mexico
california
native		 No
sunset
zones		 5–24

Sunset Zones Map

Outdoor Exposure Guide

Growing Notes

Most agave, including this one, are monocarpic, meaning that a head will grow larger and larger over time, building up energy, then send off a spectacular flower and afterward decline and die.
Take care when pruning or removing agave, as many have a toxic sap that causes inflammation and rashing. Removing spent agave heads can also be tricky as they are often ringed with other armed agave. If you like the look of agave, but are threatened by the terminal spikes they can be removed. It’s easiest to cut these off when they are coming out of the rosette as you’ll be able to prune the thorns off many layers of leaves at one time.
You can ‘pineapple’ your agave, by removing the lowest leaves. This is best started while it is out of the nursery can, but before planting, when you can access leaves from the bottom. This gives the plant a short trunk, textured similar to many palms, and allows you to get under the plant for weeding or removing pups.
Agave, even very large ones, are surprisingly well suited to pot culture. Agave that would normally be ten feet in the ground tend to settle into even small pots and stay in harmonious balance. Every few years, if they start to stall, you can remove them and trim back a third of the roots and remove any pups. Sometimes they get very root bound and it can be beneficial to bottom water, setting them in a saucer of water for a day.
Leaves will be gracefully recurved if grown in some shade.

Special Interest

At end of life blooms with a 10’-14’ heavily branched spear with yellow-green flowers.