Agave parrasana 'Meat Claw' | Cabbage Head Agave
€84,80
🌱 Morphology
Slow-growing American selection, especially compact and geometric. It forms a dense, almost spherical rosette, approximately 50–60 cm in height and diameter, with broad, fleshy, grayish-green to blue-green leaves that are strongly imbricated. Its most striking feature is its long, thick, curved marginal teeth, which are reddish when young and progressively turn gray, resembling animal claws. The terminal spine is robust and can also take on reddish tones.
🌍 Distribution, habitat and family
‘Meat Claw’ is a horticultural selection, so it has no natural distribution of its own. It originates from Agave parrasana, a species strictly endemic to southeastern Coahuila (Mexico), especially the Sierra de Parras and nearby areas of the Sierra Madre Oriental. It grows on rocky calcareous slopes, between approximately 1,500 and 2,400 m, at the edge of desert scrub and open oak and pine forests.
Family Asparagaceae · Subfamily Agavoideae · Tribe Agaveae · Genus Agave
❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 7b
It tolerates minimum temperatures of down to −10 ºC for short periods and with the substrate completely dry. Specific references for ‘Meat Claw’ place its hardiness at approximately −9 to −10 ºC, while the species A. parrasana can withstand lower temperatures in well-established adult specimens.
☀️ Lighting
It requires full sun to maintain the compact structure of the rosette and develop an intense bluish coloration. It can tolerate bright semi-shade, but insufficient light encourages a more open habit. A PAR radiation of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ (DLI) is recommended.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Growth is primarily spring-summer. During the active period, it is recommended to water abundantly and allow the substrate to dry completely before the next watering. In autumn, inputs are progressively reduced, and it is kept practically dry during winter. Excellent drainage is especially important when temperatures are low.
🌸 Flowering
It is monocarpic: the rosette flowers once and dies after flowering, although it may produce offsets that continue the clone. The species reaches maturity at approximately 10–20 years, and the inflorescence can rise up to 5–6 m. The flowers appear reddish at first and later take on yellow tones. No sufficiently documented first-flowering age has been found specifically for ‘Meat Claw’.
🌿 Nutrition
During active growth, Desert CHOICE® Succulents is recommended, especially for its supply of potassium and assimilable calcium. Potassium promotes water regulation and tissue resistance to stress, while assimilable calcium helps maintain firm leaves and a structurally resistant rosette. In agaves, it is not recommended to routinely add a specific flowering fertilizer.
🪴 Pot
30 cm pot
This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a technological square pot and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
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