Agave cupreata

Agave cupreata is found widely dispersed throughout mountain slopes in the Rio Balsas basin of Guerrero and Michoacan. This is a frostless zone below the Tropic of Cancer between 4000-6000'. The epithet cupre, meaning copper, refers to the copper colored spines on the leaf margins. The leaves are green to glaucous blue, typically shiny, and can have interesting grooved or knobby texture. The grey to copper spines grow on broad leaves with mammilate teats, or the protrusions, along the curved margins, often making beautiful bud imprinting, or tatooing, on the succesive leaves. Plants are currently in 5" & will be shipped bare root. Described as a medium sized agave and often referred to as a dwarf A. bovicornuta, I've never been sure why, the plants I've seen along the road to Chilpancingo in Guerrero are of equal size to A. bovicornuta. They also don't look particularly alike, to me. The imposing solitary rosettes grow to at least 2-3' wide and tall and are unusual in the trade, and seldom seen in gardens, but when seen always make a striking statement. Agave cupreata is the preferred agave for mescal in the states where it grows, and can be found widely in many of the artisan mescals in local liquor stores. Grow in full sun to light shade and despite coming from a frost free zone, plants are hardy to 25-30 degrees fahrenheit.