Agave mite at BTA?

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mcvansoest
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Agave mite at BTA?

#1

Post by mcvansoest »

On my recent visit to Boyce Thomson Arboretum, I noticed that a large number of plants appear to have what I think are clear indicators of Agave mite.
I did not go down the trail very far, but among the Agaves that I did see, Agave vilmoriniana and Agave murpheyi were most affected. Here are a couple of examples:
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Agave palmeri and Agave shrevei ssp. metapensis growing in the same area were not affected (yet). Occurrence appeared to be diminishing the further along the main trail from the entrance I got...

Overall it looked like it was a hard summer for many plants up there.
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Re: Agave mite at BTA?

#2

Post by Gee.S »

It has been a while since I visited a botanic garden or nursery that doesn't have Agave mite. And we've found it at Organ Pipe, south of Harquahala, and across the Verde Valley. Seems like it just came out of nowhere several years ago. Really strange, isn't it?
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"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

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Re: Agave mite at BTA?

#3

Post by mcvansoest »

Yeah, at a botanical garden I can see how you might bring it in as they are bringing new plants, but the appearance in wild populations seemingly out of nowhere is harden to envision a mechanism for. I did not come across any of the horticulture people because I always wonder how aware they are of it. To a point an interesting litmus test in terms of there being any Agaves that are growing in close proximity but are not getting infested.

Some of the really big plants further down the trail had something else going on. Not sure exactly what, almost looked like weevils but not quite. Here is an example of a big salmiana just not looking right:
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Re: Agave mite at BTA?

#4

Post by Gee.S »

Well I wouldn't say that habitat mites came out of nowhere, in fact I highly doubt that. But it seems they did come out of nowhere as far as the nursery trade is concerned. And we know how poorly represented Arizona Agaves are in the trade, so more than likely, it was a Mexican introduction. I recall seeing mites on chrysantha, simplex, verdensis, yavapaiensis and phillipsiana. But never parryi, the only marginally common AZ Agave in the trade.
Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Re: Agave mite at BTA?

#5

Post by bigdaddyscondition »

We certainly have habitat agave mites in southern California, as several of us have commented on in the past. My herpetologist friend and neighbor brought me an Agave deserti from the Anza Borrego area, low desert out in eastern San Diego County. A healthy-appearing specimen when I planted it in my back yard, it gradually developed mite sign over the following year. I removed the plant. I had also read in Matt Maggio's article on mites that this species was known to be infested in its habitat.
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