Agave palmeri  Englemann

Pub: Proc. Acad. Sciences St. Louis Trans. 3:313, 1875

Agave palmeri grows in arid to semi-arid upland chaparral and Pinion-Oak woodland at elevations of 3,000 to 6,500 feet, ranging from northwestern Mexico through south central Arizona. Gentry (1982) describes the population at its extreme northwestern limits in the northern Baboquivari Mountains, 45 miles southwest of Tucson, as deserving formae status and as possibly intergrading with the smaller, more coarsely dentate Agave chrysantha. This is the population shown below, observed on Kitt Peak, Arizona. In optimum habitat or with proper cultivation, Agave palmeri grows into spectacular rosettes 1 meter wide and tall.  [7 slides]


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Agave palmeri Niche

This shows a small population of plants of different ages growing together in a favorable niche. This is typical habitat in Pinion-Oak woodland at the arid extreme of its northwestern range. Also visible are Quercus arizonica, Nolina microcarpa, and a lot of open space. Photo ca. 6,500 ft elevation, Peak, Arizona, June 2004.

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