Description

Agave Vilmoriniana | Octopus Agave

Agave vilmoriniana popularly known as Octopus agave, is a medium to large accent plant with graceful narrow, arching and twisting leaves that sprawl quickly and grotesquely, making the plants resemble huge spiders. It is solitary – Does not forms pups.

This is a fairly fast growing agave with soft succulent leaves. It is quite drought-tolerant once established. It is tolerant of most soil types, from heavy clays to sandy soils. It likes regular water but don’t soak it wet as it seems to suffer from edema from over watering (They enjoy a little water during winter period too). It’s also somewhat cold sensitive, protect from freezing temperatures to avoid disfiguring the foliage. Space to about 2 meters apart for mass planting. It is also one of the more ‘user friendly’ Agaves, having soft spines and no sharp teeth along the leaf margins.

The crushed leaves are used by the Tarahumara Indians as soap. Agave vilmoriniana has one of the highest concentrations of the sapogenin smilagenen (up to 4.5 % in 6-7 years old plants), and the leaves ( fresh or dried) are cut and the fibers are beaten to make them into a brush with built-in soap for washing clothing or as a shampoo. It is said that if you use this shampoo you will not get grey hairs