PlantFiles: Shin Dagger, Lechuguilla
Agave lechuguilla

Well this may seem a strange positive but...I bumped into one of these in CA.
Got a nice puncture wound in my thigh.
Be careful around this one! lol

They do though grow well in Containers and are very impressive at maturity.

Sometimes confused with Agave lophantha.
A. lophantha's leaves are wider and flatter in the middle.
Some A. lechuguilla's have a stripe in the middle mostly on younger offsets, though faint, but A. lophantha always has the brighter stripe on the average and sometimes faded. The marginal leaf thorns are really close on both but different shape. A. lophantha dosen't have the dark broken streaks on the outside of the leaf like A. lechuguilla always has, though they fade as the plant ages.


Additional synyonyms:
Agave caerulescens
Agave lophantha var. angustifolia
Agave lophantha var. brevifolia
Agave lophantha var. caerulescens
Agave lophantha var. gracilior
Agave lophantha var. pallida
Agave univittata var. angustifolia
Agave univittata var. brevifolia
Agave univittata var. caerulescens
Agave univittata var. gracilior
Agave univittata var. subcanescens
Agave univittata var. tamaulipasana

A tall, narrow cluster of flowers growing from a basal rosette of erect, rigid, sharply pointed leaves. These leaves are 12" to 20" long and about 1" wide. They are pointed and very formidible. It was a dangerous obsticle to early explorers. The sharp leaves cut the horses' legs and any rider who fell into a clump could be impaled. Today, the small leaves of this plant can puncture the tires of off road vehicles.

Native Americans obtained fibers from the leaves and wove baskets and twisted it into a rope like substance.

This vicious looking spiny plant has long, stiff, nearly round, spike-like, simple leaves ending in a very sharp, large spine. It is a nasty looking plant and quickly suckers to make a nasty looking hedge. Quite cold hardy and can survive in a wide range of conditions. It has been used in Mexico as a source of soap and very strong fiber called istle. Poisonous to cattle (not sure why). Frequently used in crosses with othe agaves.