Plants acaulescent, freely suckering; rosettes solitary or cespitose, 3.5-7.5 × 4-8.5 dm, somewhat open to dense. Leaves ascending to erect, 7-65 × 4-20 cm; blade glaucous-gray to light green, not cross-zoned, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate or broadly ovate, rigid, adaxially nearly plane to concave toward apex, abaxially convex; margins straight or undulate, rarely unarmed, teeth single, well defined, 3-7(-8) mm, 1-3 cm apart; apical spine dark brown to gray, subulate or acicular, 1.5-4 cm. Scape (2-)3-6 m. Inflorescences broadly paniculate, somewhat open to dense, not bulbiferous; bracts persistent, triangular, 3-10 cm; lateral branches (7-)10-36, horizontal to slightly ascending, comprising distal 1/2 of inflorescence, longer than 10 cm. Flowers 27-48 per cluster, erect, 4.3-8.1 cm; perianth pink to red or red to orange in bud, yellow to yellowish green at anthesis, tube campanulate, 6-18 × 11-21 mm, limb lobes erect to ascending, unequal, 13-27 mm; stamens long-exserted; filaments inserted (sometimes irregularly) above mid perianth tube to just below rim, erect, yellow or green, 3.5-5.8 cm; anthers yellow, 12-34 mm; ovary (2-)3-4.5 (-4.8) cm, neck slightly constricted, 4-9 mm. Capsules short-pedicellate, ovoid or oblong to obovoid, 2.5-5 cm, apex beaked. Seeds 7-8 mm.

Plant: perennial scapose herb; Rosettes 15-75 cm high, 25-85 cm broad, compact, flat-topped or globose

Leaves: numerous, closely imbricate, 10-65 cm long, 4.5-20 cm wide, lanceolate to broadly ovate, widest just below middle, short-acuminate to truncate, rigid, thick, nearly flat to concave towards apex, rounded below, little constricted above base, glaucous gray to light green, the margins nearly straight to repand or undulate; teeth small, the largest above mid-blade 3-8 mm long, mostly 1-2(-3) cm apart, mostly straight to reflexed, dark brown to grayish; interstitial teeth absent; terminal spine 15-30 mm long, openly grooved, dark brown aging to gray, decurrent to the first or second teeth

INFLORESCENCE: with scape 4-6 m tall, congested, of 20-36 lateral, slightly ascending branchlets on upper ½ of flowering stalk, the stalk thick, glaucous-green to gray

Flowers: pink to red in bud, in congested clusters, 43-81 mm long, with little to no fragrance; tepals subequal, 13-27 mm long, 2-7 mm wide, linear, ascending to erect, soon involute and wilting, greenish yellow to deep yellow; filaments (35-)40-58(-65) mm long, inserted 4-11 mm above base of tube, yellow, the anthers 12-34 mm long, yellow; ovary 20-48 mm long, usually with a neck (2-)6-9 mm long, slightly angled longitudinally or rounded, green, the style 52-70 mm long when stigma is receptive; floral tube 6-12 mm long, 11-21 mm wide, deep green

Fruit: capsules 3.5-5 cm long, 1.5-2 cm wide, oblong to obovate, stout-pedicellate, short-stipitate, beaked; SEEDS 7-8 mm long, 5-6 mm wide, black

Misc: Open slopes of grassland, chaparral, pine-oak woodlands

REFERENCES: Hodgson, Wendy. 1999. Agavaceae. Ariz. - Nev. Acad. Sci. 32(1).

Common Name: Parry's agave

Duration: Perennial

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Succulent

General: Perennial scapose succulents, compact, globose rosette, medium sized, glaucous gray to light green, freely suckering; 40-50 cm by 60-75 cm, with 100-160 closely imbricated leaves.

Leaves: Mostly 25-40 cm by 8-12 cm, linear-ovate, short acuminate, rigid, thick, nearly plane to concave above, rounded below; teeth mostly 1-2 cm apart, small, largest above mid-blade, 3-7 mm long.

Flowers: Stout panicle, 4-6 m tall, with large reflexing bracts on peduncle and with 20-36 stout lateral peduncles on upper half of shaft, flowers bud pink to red, 60-75 mm long.

Fruits: Capsule, constricted on stout pedicels, 3.5-5 cm by 1.5-2 cm, beaked, strong walled.

Ecology: Found on rocky slopes from 5,000-7,000 ft (1524-2134 m); flowers June-August.

Ethnobotany: Used extensively for food, fiber, and drink.

Etymology: Agave is from Greek agauos, admirable, noble, while parryi is named for Dr. Charles Christopher Parry (1823-1890), an English-born American botanist and collector.

Synonyms: None

Editor: SBuckley, 2010