Agave horrida Lem. ex Jacobi is a small to medium sized agave with symmetrical solitary rosettes to 1 to 60 cm tall by 60 to 90 cm wide with mid to dark green leaves that have large long often recurved brown teeth along the leaf margins, that with age bleach out to gray, standing out well against the darker green leaves.
It grows naturally on rocky volcanic slopes and lava fields of central Mexico in the states of Morelos, Queretaro and San Luis Potosi. In these areas this plant, known as 'Mexcalmetl' it leaves reportedly collected be boiled and eaten or baked to make an alcoholic beverage called Mexcalli.
The specific epithet is from the Latin word meaning "bristly", "prickly" or rough and is in reference to the large teeth on the leaf margins - Howard Scott Gentry called the leaves "formidably armed". In older treatments Agave horrida has been included with Agave ghiesbreghtii but is now considered to be a distinct species. In Puebla and Veracruz is there is an interesting plant that long went by the name Agave obscura that is now considered to be a variety of horrida that is called Agave horrida var. perotensis,
Genus name comes from from Ancient Greek Ἀγαυή (Agauḗ, “Agave”), from ἀγαυός (agauós, “noble, illustrious”).
Agave horrida
Agave horrida is ca. 40 cm tall and comes in a ø 22 cm pot.
