A Native Plant With A Tropical Slant

I don’t know about you, but for me, hearing the word Agave conjures up images of the Mexican desert, or gargantuan plants in 50 gallon pots with 20 foot flower stems. Maybe you think of Tequila or Agave Nectar, certainly not a plant that’s native to the east coast, and not just to Virginia, but to 16 other southeastern and gulf states.

Agave virginica, aka Manfreda virginica, (I’ll tell you more about Manny later) is an easy to grow native perennial, usually found in the wild on rocky outcrops in scrubby soil. In the garden, it does best in well-drained locations with dappled to full sun. If you’re lucky, they’ll bloom in mid-summer with interesting yellowish-green, tubular flowers on 36”-72” firm stems.

The tropical looking leaves are fleshy and succulent and sometimes flecked with attractive red dots. They’re usually about 4” – 12” long, but I’ve had some that were up to 18” long. Their foliage really does resemble that of Aloe, explaining one of the common names that you’ll find it listed under, “False Aloe”.

The flowers aren’t particularly showy, but the impact of the tall stems that they sit atop makes them quite an unexpected sight. I haven’t yet experienced a seed set, probably because they’re pollinated by very particular species of moths that may not live in my locale. They also attract hummingbirds which draw the nectar, but they don’t seem to help with pollination. I think that I’m going to have to get out there with my #8 camel hair brush and sling some pollen around. I have been able to root offsets that are occasionally produced.

In herbal medicine, the root of Agave virginica has been used to treat dropsy, snakebite, diarrhea, and worms.

Strangely enough this plant happens to be a member of the Asparagus family, and I still haven’t wrapped my brain around that yet.

Earlier, I referenced the synonymous name of this genus, Manfreda. This name is in honor of a very interesting fellow that lived in the 14th Century named Manfredus de Monte Imperiali. He was a well known herbalist and illustrator of medicinal plants.

So there you have it, a tropical looking plant that you can grow outside in your garden all year round.

I have a limited amount of mature Agave virginica for sale, if you're interested, email me at barry@sunfarm.com