Agave attenuata

Common Name:
Foxtail Agave

Description:
Agave attenuata is a striking architectural succulent admired for its smooth, spineless foliage and elegant, soft appearance. Unlike many other agaves, its broad, pale green leaves are flexible and lack sharp terminal spines, making it a safer choice for family gardens and high-traffic areas. The leaves form large, symmetrical rosettes atop a gently curving trunk, creating a sculptural feature in gardens or containers. Mature plants may eventually produce an impressive, arching flower spike resembling a fox's tail, bearing masses of greenish-yellow flowers before the flowering rosette naturally dies. Offsets are typically produced around the base, ensuring the plant continues to thrive. Well suited to Melbourne's climate, Agave attenuata performs best in a sunny to partly shaded position with well-drained soil. It is highly drought tolerant once established and requires minimal maintenance, making it ideal for contemporary landscapes, coastal gardens, Mediterranean-style plantings and waterwise gardens.

Form:

• Shrub - Clumping / Grass-like / Mounding

Mature Size:

• Height: 1–1.5 m
• Width: 1–1.5 m

Aspect:

• Full Sun
• Part Shade

Flowering:

• Flowers in Summer

Flower Colour:

• Greenish-yellow

Key Attributes:

• Architectural foliage
• Bird Attracting
• Bee Attracting
• Coastal tolerant
• Drought tolerant
• Evergreen
• Low maintenance
• Perennial
• Suitable for Pots
• Spineless foliage

Toxicity:
The sap may cause skin irritation or dermatitis in sensitive individuals. If ingested, the plant may cause gastrointestinal irritation in pets, including dogs and cats, and in humans.

Companion Plants:

• Aloe striata
• Lomandra longifolia
• Dianella revoluta
• Beschorneria yuccoides
• Senecio serpens
• Aeonium arboreum
• Cordyline australis
• Phormium tenax
• Strelitzia reginae
• Westringia fruticosa