Agave utahensis is a collector’s favorite agave. But does it make a good houseplant for folks who aren’t (yet) agave nerds? I think it absolutely can, but there are a few things we need to be aware of about how it differs from other “traditional” houseplants.

There are so many interesting facts about agave utahensis. From it’s history, to it’s biology, to the research that will define it’s future. In this post, I’ll detail 10 facts you probably don’t know about agave utahensis.

Agave utahensis is a calciphile plant. That means it prefers to grow on calcium-rich soils. The question of why certain plants exhibit calciphilic or calcifuge tendencies remains a subject of ongoing scientific investigation, likely involving multiple factors.

Archeological evidence shows that humans have lived in the Las Vegas area for at least 10,000 years and for much of that time, agave utahensis was an important food source. Evidence of ancient indigenous use of utahensis can be seen scattered throughout its range (especially in the Spring Mountains just outside of Las Vegas), in the form of roasting pits.

Nevadensis is known to generally be more glaucous than the greener eborispina (and the rest of the species). One possible explanation for this is altitude. In my experience, Nevadensis is mostly found growing 1,000 to 2,000, or more feet higher than eborispina. I have recently heard reports of green plants above 7,000ft deep in eborispina’s range but have yet to personally confirm this.

Humans have been using agave for more than 10,000 years, and cultivating it for thousands. In this article, I explain the history of the agave plant genus, the geological history that led to it’s spread, and how utahensis became it’s own species.

Did I find pre-historic rock art depicting agave utahensis in the Spring Mountains? “BC” site is a protected archeological district nearly 3,000 acres big, in Red Rock Canyon at the feet of the Spring Mountains here in Las Vegas. It's a large complex of rock art, agave roasting pits, and water sources that has been used by Ancestral Puebloans, Southern Paiute, as well as historical groups.

There are four types of agave utahensis: ssp kaibabensis (which grows primarily in the area of the Grand Canyon), ssp utahensis (which grows in southern Utah, northern Arizona, southern California and southern Nevada), var eborispina, and var nevadensis. Eborispina and nevadensis only grow in Nevada and California, primarily in limestone soils around the Spring Mountains near Las Vegas.