Variegated Century Plant

The Variegated Century Plant, most commonly referring to Agave americana ‘Marginata’ or Agave americana ‘Mediopicta Alba’, is a truly classic and imposing succulent renowned for its massive size and dramatic striped foliage. While various variegated forms exist, they all derive from Agave americana, which is native to the arid and semi-arid highlands of Mexico. This incredibly resilient monocarpic perennial has been widely naturalized and cultivated across warm temperate to subtropical regions worldwide, thriving in full sun and well-drained soils, including the hot, dry climate of Phoenix, Arizona, where it is a ubiquitous landscape plant.

Despite its common name implying a hundred-year lifespan, the Variegated Century Plant typically has a lifespan of 10 to 30 years before it dedicates all its energy to producing a colossal flower stalk, after which the main rosette slowly dies. However, it readily produces numerous offsets (pups) at its base, ensuring its continuation. Its most defining characteristic is its enormous, open rosette of thick, rigid, and broadly arching leaves. The leaves are typically a glaucous blue-green to gray-green in the center, but it’s the bold variegation that makes it stand out: * ***’Marginata’***: Features broad, creamy-yellow to white margins along the edges of the blue-green leaves. * ***’Mediopicta Alba’***: Displays a creamy-white to yellow stripe down the center of the blue-green leaves, with a narrower green margin.

All variegated forms are armed with stout, sharp marginal teeth and a formidable terminal spine, making them best planted away from foot traffic. When mature, it produces a truly spectacular, massive flower stalk that can soar to heights of 20-40 feet or more, branched like a candelabra, bearing numerous clusters of yellow-green flowers. This monumental bloom is a significant event, drawing pollinators from afar. The Variegated Century Plant is an excellent choice for very large xeriscapes, spacious desert gardens, and as an unparalleled focal point where a grand, architectural statement is desired and space allows for its impressive mature dimensions.