Agave lophantha (Center Stripe Agave) on 7-19-16.
Center Stripe Agave, Thorn-Crested Agave
Agave lophantha
a-GAH-vee low-FAN-tha
SYN.
Agave univittata
a-GAH-vee yoo-nih-vy-TAH-tuh
Synonyms of Agave lophantha (23) (Updated on 11-27-23 from Plants of the World Online): Agave caerulescens Salm-Dyck ex Jacobi (1859), Agave heteracantha Zucc. (1832), Agave heteracantha var. univittata (Haw.) A.Terracc. (1885), Agave heteracantha var. vittata Regel (1858), Agave lophantha var. angustifolia A.Berger (1915), Agave lophantha var. brevifolia Jacobi (1866), Agave lophantha f. caerulescens (Salm-Dyck ex Jacobi) Voss (1895), Agave lophantha var. gracilior Jacobi (1866), Agave lophantha var. pallida A.Berger (1915), Agave lophantha var. poselgeri A.Berger (1915), Agave lophantha var. subcanescens Jacobi (1866), Agave lophantha var. univittata (Haw.) Trel. (1914), Agave univittata Haw. (1831), Agave univittata var. angustifolia (A.Berger) Jacobson (1973), Agave univittata var. brevifolia (Jacobi) Jacobson (1973), Agave univittata var. caerulescens (Salm-Dyck ex Jacobi) H.Jacobsen (1973), Agave univittata var. gracilior (Jacobi) Jacobson (1973), Agave univittata var. heteracantha (Zucc.) Breitung (1959), Agave univittata var. lophantha (Schiede) Maire & Weiller (1960), Agave univittata var. major Jacobi (1866), Agave univittata var. subcanescens (Jacobi) Jacobson (1973).
Agave lophantha Schiede is the accepted scientific name for this species of Agave. It was named and described as such by Christian Julius Wilhelm Schiede in Linnaea in 1829.
The genus, Agave L., was described by Carl von Linnaeus in the first edition of Species Plantarum in 1753.
As of 11-27-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online lists 287 species of Agave. It is a member of the plant family Asparagaceae with 121 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.
I’m not sure how many times I have changed the species name of this plant. It was Agave lophantha first, then Agave univittata var. lophantha, then Agave univittata, and back to Agave lophantha. GEEZ!
THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING.
Agave lophantha on 7-20-16, #276-1.
I bought this Agave in July 2016 from a local Amish Greenhouse, I think probably Mast’s. Even though I always say I am not going to buy plants without labels AGAIN, I always wind up doing just that. This Agave was one of them. I looked off and on for its ID but decided I better make a decision so I could make this page (on December 1, 2017).
I always start out looking at images online when I have no name and clicking on the photos that look similar. This time the first photo I saw that looked similar to my plant led me to a website by Stoney Creek Cacti & Gifts. I scrolled down their Agave selection and found the one that looked like mine. It said the name is Agave lophantha splendida.
Agave lophantha on 5-31-17, #339-3.
The above photo is what it looked like after a winter in the house on May 31, 2017. It didn’t get enough sun and it looks like the leaves stretched. It really doesn’t even look like the same plant.
Agave lophantha on 8-29-17, #369-3.
The leaves of this species grow to around 15” long and are thinner than most Agave. The leaves are rather flat with a thin white edge and white teeth. The needle on the tips of the leaves is brown.
Agave lophantha on 9-5-17, #371-2.
USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Asparagaceae (formerly Agavaceae)
Origin: Northeast Mexico and Texas.
Zones: 9a-10b (20°-35° F)
Size: 12-18″ tall x 1-2’ wide
Light: Sun to part shade
Soil: Well-drained
Agave lophantha on 10-11-17, #382-3.
I have had no problems with this plant. Photos online show plants with longer leaves, so maybe they are supposed to look like this as they get older. This is a smaller Agave, growing no more than 12 to 18″ tall, so it is much more manageable than a few of the larger plants I have grown.
Agave lophantha on 5-17-17, #443-6.
<<<<2018>>>>
The Agave lophantha survived the winter in the house in my bedroom and was very glad to get back outside for the summer.
Agave lophantha on 7-12-18, #476-2.
On July 12 I decided the Agave lophantha needed to be in a larger pot… I had moved the plant table from behind the shed to the front porch and the potting table to the back porch.
Agave lophantha in its new pot on 7-12-18, #476-3.
I put it in a 9″ diameter x 6″ tall pot. Now its roots can spread out a little more. Smaller Agave are so much easier to work with than the larger growing species.
Agave lophantha (Center Stripe Agave) on 7-29-18, #487-4.
The Agave lophantha is now on the front porch. I don’t think it has really been getting enough sun…
<<<<2019>>>>
Agave lophantha (Center Stripe Agave) on 5-25-19, #576-4.
The Agave lophantha made it through another winter and I decided to put it on the back porch for 2019. It will get full sun all day here and maybe it will do better and begin to look more like what an Agave lophantha should look like.
Agave lophantha (Center Stripe Agave) on 6-19-19, #592-1.
The Agave lophantha is doing very well and enjoying the full sun on the back porch on 6-19-19.
Agave lophantha on 10-11-19, #639-4.
I had to move the plants inside on October 11 because an “F” was in the forecast. I took one last photo of it before moving it inside for the winter.
<<<<2020>>>>
Agave lophantha at 13 tall x 27 1/2 wide on 10-15-20, #747-3.
I kept this plant in a sunny part on the front porch for the summer of 2020. It seemed to have a few sunburn issues on the back porch in 2019. It did well, as usual, and measured 13″ tall x 27 1/2″ wide when I brought the plants inside for the winter on October 15.
<<<<2021>>>>
Agave lophantha (Center Stripe Agave) at 17 1/2″ tall x 25″ or so wide on 8-17-21, #826-4.
I took measurements earlier in 2021, so this plant measured 17 1/2″ tall x 25″ or so. When I added the measurement to my journal, I noticed it was 27 1/2″ wide in 2020. I went back to recheck and noticed I had neglected to consider the oldest leaf on the bottom hanging downward. I kept it on the front porch in 2021 because it didn’t seem to like the intense sun on the back porch last summer.
I will continue adding more photos as time goes by. I didn’t take any photos of the Agave lophantha in 2022 or 2023 but it is alive and well..
I hope you enjoyed this page and maybe found it useful. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, I would like to hear from you. Please click on “like” if you visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂 You can check out the links below for further reading. The links take you directly to the genus and species of this plant.
The Belmont Rooster 
Hey there, I think you might actually have an Agave funkiana ‘Fatal Attraction’. I have a nearly-identical plant and was looking for the ID-yours was the first that came up as a match, but I wasn’t convinced by the univittata ID (they’re closely related, though!)
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Hello RL! t was a tough one for me to ID. The way it looked when I brought it home and the way it looks now is so different. I will check out. I will check out your suggestion. Take care and thanks for the comment!
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