Fauna
Plant

McKelvey's Agave

Agave mckelveyana

Also known as McKelvey's Century Plant

McKelvey's agave forms compact, solitary rosettes of pale green to yellowish, spine-edged leaves hugging rocky canyon slopes. It spends decades accumulating energy in arid mountain terrain before producing a single towering flowering stalk laden with clustered yellow blooms. Like other monocarpic century plants, the rosette dies after this singular reproductive effort, leaving behind a dry spire and seeds to disperse on desert winds.

SucculentDesertEndemic
McKelvey's Agave reference1 / 7
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Near ThreatenedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNear ThreatenedRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & preyAutotrophic (Photosynthetic)
Predators
  • Desert bighorn sheep
  • Agave snout weevil
  • Javelina
ThreatsSevere drought, changing wildfire regimes, illegal wild collection
HabitatsRocky mountain slopes, chaparral, pinyon-juniper woodlands, desert scrub
Life span10–30 years (monocarpic)
Classification
  1. FamilyAsparagaceae
  2. SpeciesAgave mckelveyana
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Sap contains sharp calcium oxalate crystals that trigger skin dermatitis, and leaf tips bear sharp spines.
Why it is dangerous
Damaged foliage leaks sap rich in microscopic calcium oxalate raphides and saponins, inducing painful swelling, itching, and contact dermatitis.
How to recognize a risky encounter
Recognizable by modest, open rosettes of pale grayish-green succulent leaves edged with small curved teeth and capped by a sharp brown terminal spine.
What to do
Do not touch broken leaves or harvest wild plants; observe rosettes from a safe standing distance without stepping on spines.
What to notice
Look for compact, solitary rosettes nestled on granite or limestone slopes between 800 and 2,200 meters elevation.
Support conservation
Stay on established trails and leave all wild plants, seed pods, and flowering stalks completely undisturbed.
Responsible observation
  • Terrain navigation: Watch footing carefully around loose rocky ledges where rosettes hide among grasses.
  • Bloom timing: Search between May and July to spot the prominent, golden-yellow inflorescences towering above brush.
  • Spine caution: Give rosettes ample clearance because the needle-like terminal leaf spines easily pierce trail clothing.
Related species
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