Agave toumeyana var Bella - 2ga

Agave toumeyana var. bella, commonly called Toumey’s Century Plant or Fairy-ring Agave, is a compact, cold-hardy agave native to central Arizona, where it grows on rocky slopes and open woodland from roughly 2,400 to 5,200 feet in elevation. It forms dense, evergreen rosettes typically 8 to 10 inches tall and up to a foot wide, composed of numerous narrow, stiff leaves marked with clear white longitudinal lines. The leaf margins are smooth but edged with curling white filaments that tighten as the plant dries and relax after watering, while the terminal spine remains short and unobtrusive. Plants offset freely, creating tight, long-lived colonies. Flowering is infrequent and occurs only at maturity, usually in late spring or early summer, when a slender stalk rises 4 to 6 feet bearing pale yellow to yellow-green flowers; individual rosettes die afterward, but the clump persists through offsets. This variety was described in 1960 for its smaller size and denser leaf arrangement compared to typical Agave toumeyana, with the name honoring botanist James W. Toumey. In cultivation it prefers full sun to light shade, excellent drainage, and low water, with minimal winter irrigation. It is notably cold tolerant, handling temperatures near 10°F when dry, and is well suited to rock gardens, containers, and xeric landscapes where a small, durable agave is needed.