Yuccas Around Las Vegas, Vegetation Around Las Vegas
 |
Utah Agave (Agave utahensis) is a succulent perennial with short, stout, upright, blue-green leaves that arise from a basal rosette and are well guarded on the edges and tips with spines. In the spring, some plants in a population send up a tall flower stalk that bears many yellow flowers. After a plant blooms, it dies. Utah Agave is a locally common (not found everywhere, but where found it can be quite common) species of rocky areas in the Mojave Desert in the Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub and Pinyon-Juniper Woodland) life zone. It also occurs on the edge of the Colorado Plateau floristic zone in southern-most Utah and northwestern Arizona. |
 |
Family: Agave (Agavaceae). Other Names: century plant. Plant Form: basal rosette with tall flowering stalk. Height: Basal leaves to about knee-high, but flowering stalk 6-12 feet. Trunk: none. Leaves: Long daggers with spines along the edges and a sharp tip. Flowers: Blooms in the spring or early summer. Inflorescence a spike. Flowers large, yellowish, and waxy. |
 |
Seeds: Elevation: About 3,000 to 6,000 ft. Distribution: California to Utah and Arizona. Comments: Judging from the number of agave roasting pits around the desert, these must have been more common in the past. In southern Nevada, there are three varieties of Utah Agave:
In addition, there is another variety of Utah Agave in southern Utah and northern Arizona: |
The three varieties in Nevada can be identified by a combination of characters, including the size of the lateral spines, the length and color of the terminal spine, and to some extent location.
| Character | Utah Agave | Ivory-spined Agave | Clark Mountain Agave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Agave utahensis var. utahensis | Agave utahensis var. eborispina | Agave utahensis var. nevadensis |
| Lateral spine size | 0.1 inch | 0.2-0.5 inch | 0.2 inch |
| Terminal spine length | 1.5 inches | 7 inches | 1.5-3.0 inches |
| Terminal spine color | gray-brown | ivory | brown to white |
| Location* | Gold Butte, Mormon Mts east into Utah and Arizona | Desert National Wildlife Range, Nevada Test Site | Spring Mountains south into California; Gold Butte |
*Note: the literature conflicts on some details here.
 Boring beetles attack the flowering stalks of agave, and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers drill holes in the stalk to extract the tasty grubs. |
 Ladder-backed Woodpecker drill holes in agave stalk |
 Ladder-backed Woodpecker drill holes in agave stalk |
 Ladder-backed Woodpecker drill holes in agave stalk |
Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate. Names generally follow the USDA database.
; Last updated 220114
| All Agave | Plant Species Index | Glossary | Copyright, Conditions, Disclaimer | Home |