Agave demeesteriana (Smooth Agave)

Native to Sinaloa and Veracruz in Mexico, this succulent perennial forms a compact rosette of arching, green to blue-green leaves. The foliage usually reaches about 2 to 3 feet tall, with sharp reddish brown tips. After years of growth, the rosette produces a branched flower stalk about 8 to 10 feet tall. Greenish yellow to yellow flowers grow in widely spaced clusters along the stalk. The flowering rosette dies afterward, while offsets can continue growing around its base. Photographed in Florida.