About

Agave shawii is a species of monocarpic succulent plant in the genus Agave, commonly known as Shaw's agave. It is a rosette-forming plant characterized by glossy, green leaves with toothed margins. After several years of slow growth, the plant puts all of its resources to produce a towering stalk of flowers, and then dies. The death of the flowering rosette is compensated by the growth of numerous clonal pups. This species is segregated into two subspecies, one native to the coast of southwestern California and northwestern Baja California, known commonly as the coast agave, and another native to the Baja California desert, known as the Goldman agave.

For centuries, this species proved to be an invaluable source of accessible and abundant food for the indigenous peoples in the region, like the Kumeyaay, Tiipai and Paipai.

Where it grows

This species is primarily distributed in, and near-endemic to, the state of Baja California in Mexico. It was formerly widespread along the coast of San Diego County, California, but coastal development has reduced the entire population to just two natural occurrences, of which only one is wholly natural. There is a 25 km (16 mi) north-to-south gap between the southernmost natural plants in San Diego County and the northernmost natural plants in Baja California. The coastal subspecies shawii is the taxon present in San Diego County, and ranges south to El Rosario in Baja California. At El Rosario, it is subsumed by the desert subspecies goldmaniana, which ranges south into the desert to Santa Rosaliíta in southern Baja California.

Other Agave plants

Agave abisaii · Agave americana var. franzosini · American century plant · Century plant · Agave anomala · Agave arcedianoensis · Arizona century plant · Maguey · Fox Tail Agave · Cow's Horn Agave · Agave brittoniana · Cayman Agave