Agave vilmoriniana

Octopus agave
Octopus agave in cultivation
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
clade:	Angiosperms
clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Asparagaceae
Subfamily:	Agavoideae
Genus:	Agave
Species:	A. vilmoriniana
Binomial name
Agave vilmoriniana Berger

Agave vilmoriniana, sometimes misspelled vilmoriana, and popularly known as Octopus agave, is a species of agave known for its untoothed arching and twisting leaves.

The species was named by Alwin Berger in 1913 in honor of Maurice de Vilmorin, based on specimens collected by Leon Diguet and grown at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. Wild plants had been found in 1899 by J. N. Rose near Guadalajara, Jalisco.

In nature, the octopus agave prefers the cliffs of barrancas of southern Sonora through Sinaloa to Jalisco and Aguascalientes, typically between elevations of 600 to 1,700 meters.

Agave vilmoriniana has one of the highest concentrations of the sapogenin smilagenen, and in parts of Mexico the leaves are cut, dried, and the fibers are beaten to make them into a brush with built-in soap.

References

• Howard Scott Gentry, Agaves of Continental North America (University of Arizona Press, 1982) pp. 82-85