Confederate Rose Unmasked--- at Last, and a Splendid New Agave

Agave parrasana (Desert Rose)

Agave parryii truncata

My Confederate Rose

Which twin has the Toni  ?  Still a mystery......                         

By the way, I must recommend a knock-out  mystery story to any who-dun- it fans.....it's called  Special Topics In Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl    ( http://www.calamityphysics.com/main.htm)

One of the better things about a succulent garden is you have time to read mystery stories.

 This one is a winner--if you liked Holden Caulfield of  The Catcher in the Rye  you'll appreciate Blue Van Meer. The mystery itself is so well plotted , found myself going back and checking all the clues to be sure Pessl was playing fair.

Back to the mystery agave Confederate Rose. It really  is Agave parrasana Desert Rose, and you can find it at Terra Sol Nursery along with Tony the Agave Man who solved the mystery. He doesn't quite approve of the name Confederate Rose "I'm not sure it's a real name...." Probably isn't, but it does have an intriguing connotation Desert Rose lacks. (Why is it a Confederate Rose ? Were Southern girls prickly, or great survivors, or extremely fertile? )  Lacking Tony, you might be able to ID the agave by comparing the leaves very carefully. Truncata has some very fine stripes in its' leaves.

We've mentioned boutique agaves  (Debora Lee Baldwin's  term)  last January  and here's one that is resplendent---:  Agave lophantha v. Splendida . It's leaves are shiny, as though lacquered, it glows. Grows  grows 1' x 1.5', just right for a knock-out pot  (which this isn't). This  4" plastic pot  will not be it's home. Time to consult  Debra Lee Baldwin  in her book on Container Gardens, for the Perfect Pot..