White leaves with green stripes

by Eric
(Wartburg, TN)

I picked up a plant at a grocery store that was only labeled as a succulent. It has a jade tree, along with this other plant which I can't find any information on. It is about 1" tall and has leaves appr. 2" long. The leaves are an off white and have green stripes running up the middle along their width. I would like any info that you could give me about this plant. Thanks.


Drought Smart Plants reply:

Hi Eric, just off the top of my head, I think you have an Agave, but what a beauty! There are many different kinds, more every year as people see them and get the bug to collect them and display them on patios and decks. Many of them stay quite small, and some grow into huge tree like structures once they go into flowering mode, anywhere from 10 to 20 years.

Once they bloom, the rosette will die, but in most cases, they form many baby pups around the base to take over.

If you look closely at the tips of the leaves, it's pretty evident that the grower has cut off the incredibly sharp thorn that grows out of the tip of each leaf. You'll realize once the plant grows a bit more why they do this, as they're wickedly sharp.

See the page on succulent care for more details about how to look after this lovely (but dangerous!) plant.

Jacki