Agave valenciana

This amazing, giant, solitary Agave forms a rosette of a few, huge leaves that reaches over 2 m tall and about 4 m in diameter. The enormous, bluish green, banded leaves can reach 60 cm wide and 2.3 m long. The spectacular, yellow-flowered inflorescence can reach nearly 6 m tall and has a diameter of up to 35cm at the base. Agave valenciana was discovered and described only a few years ago from a remote canyon in western Jalisco, Mexico, where it grows in the understory of dry forest on rocky ground between 900 and 1250 m. It has not been available commercially and to date is only present in a few enthusiasts collections. It is locally used in the manufacture of an alcoholic beverage called raicilla or ximat.