Agave lechuguilla
Common: Lechuguilla
Family: Agavaceae
Origin: Southern New Mexico and western Texas to much of Mexico, including the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi, Mexico State and Hidalgo
Temperature: Cold tolerant to around 15 degrees F or below
Light: Needs full sun
Soil: Best with good drainage
Water: Drought tolerant
Effective as an accent plant or in a succulent garden, the Agave lechuguilla is best appreciated near a walkway or patio, but needs room to develop. It is an ideal plant for pots.
Its mostly upright leaves grow to 10 inches high and 8 inches wide, and produces many offshoots. The leaves have downward slanting teeth along the margins and are light green to yellowish green in color. The plant sends up a slender spike with purplish or yellow flowers in late spring.
Considered an indicator plant of the Chihuahuan Desert, which means that its presence indicates the limits of the desert. Has one of the most extensive ranges of agaves, its habitat the rocky limestone slopes from 2,000 to 6,500 feet in elevation. Lechuguilla means "little lettuce" in Spanish.