AGAVE americana medio-picta

Elegant succulent which, compared to other forms of the same genus, has modest dimensions, being able to grow 60-80 cm tall and large when ripe; this spartan plant is easy to cultivate, native to North America and has a bushy habit: the leaves, long and keeled, are erect, but slightly arched at the ends and arranged in a circular way to form large rosettes; they have spiny margins and apex and a bright clear band in the center with a longitudinal course. The unpredictable flowering is truly majestic and spectacular and probably the name of the genus "Agave" comes from this characteristic, it derives precisely from a Greek term that means "noble or famous": a stem of several meters suddenly sprouts and grows visibly from the heart of the leaves, it branches off at the top and has numerous greenish-yellow flowers, which are followed, after pollination, by bunches of fruits full of black scaly seeds.

Ensure it has a sunny position and poor soil, as long as it is perfectly drained, and it will be decorative in every season of the year. It tolerates even lasting drought as well as brackish winds of marine areas, it may instead require a protected location, shelter or shield in places subject to intense cold and prolonged in winter. In spring it may be useful to remove any old, dry or damaged leaves at the base, as well as the numerous basal suckers that emerge around the plant, thus keeping it in a pleasant shape. Perfect in pots or containers, even small ones on terraces and balconies, it is in the open ground that, perhaps in the company of columnar and spherical cacti, its elegance is enhanced to the maximum.