Is it tequilana?

[RCDS66]

This is the second agave I saw in the mountains around Islamabad yesterday. From a distance it looked like americana but on seeing closeups, my guess is tequilana. Many of them were growing on very steep slopes with over 70* gradient and there was a clump in relatively plainer area.
Few photos have been taken from a distance and my mobile phone hasn't been able to do the justice to the majestic look that these agaves were presenting. Bigger specimens were around 6 ft tall and many in the clump had bloomed already. BTW, the two huts you see in a photo were absolutely isolated and there wasn't any other population in the near vicinity.
Seniors please advise......

[RCDS66]

Seniors, any input please!

[Paul S]

It doesn't look like tequilana to me, really. Of the agaves I have seen it most closely resembles Agave americana var oaxacensis but what such an oddity would be doing in your part of the world beats me.

[Papahuel]

No bulbils on any of those undamaged inflorescence suggest it isn't a tequiliana/angustifolia relative.

[abborean]

No bulbils on any of those undamaged inflorescence suggest it isn't a tequiliana/angustifolia relative.

Was going to suggest fourcroydes until your comment. Trying to think of an economic agave species

[RCDS66]

It doesn't look like tequilana to me, really. Of the agaves I have seen it most closely resembles Agave americana var oaxacensis but what such an oddity would be doing in your part of the world beats me.

Thanks for the input Paul S. As for the second part of your comment, I have so far spotted 7 agave species growing in the wild in Pakistan. We all know agaves are not a native plant of Indian Subcontinent. As per my research, it came through 3 sources. One, brought by British before 1947, second the Govt of Pakistan imported few agaves in good numbers from USA during 1960s and distributed them amongst the farmer for making ropes locally. Third, they might have escaped from a collector's home.

Coming back to the subject, Agave americana var oaxacensis grows really huge. This one was hardly six feet tall and the locals told us that the clump is there since over 30 years. So I am still not sure what it is .............

[RCDS66]

No bulbils on any of those undamaged inflorescence suggest it isn't a tequiliana/angustifolia relative.

That's a very valid observation Papahuel. Thanks
Any idea what it could be?

[Papahuel]

That's a very valid observation Papahuel. Thanks
Any idea what it could be?

I'd probably go with Paul.S ---->
Agave americana var. oaxacensis, but no idea what that would be doing in your neck of the woods, however time is long and people like moving plants around.

The floppers on the hillside in this photo, if it was the only photo, I would just go A americana:

2024-02Agavetiquilana162113.jpg (307.33 KiB) Viewed 891 times

[Agavelove]

I would guess these agaves are Americana.

When I am looking for tequilana plants and to differentiate them from Americana, the differences I have noticed are:

Tequilana leaves are thinner and longer than Americana, the most notable difference is the direction of the thorns on the leaf. You can run your finger bottom to the top without getting hurt on tequilana and Americana thorns point down and running finger in that direction, you get hurt.

I have both varieties.

[mcvansoest]

To me the close up shots give me the sense of something similar to what we have been calling 'Sawtooth', which may be Agave lurida, but who knows.

I also know that Boyce Thompson Arboretum used to have a bunch of very large Agaves that were identified as Agave americana that looked like that, with the atypical teeth for your garden center variety americanas.

I have pictures somewhere.... I will try to find them. Not sure if they still have the plants... they had weevils come through that area one year....

[ThePupMill]

the direction of the thorns on the leaf. You can run your finger bottom to the top without getting hurt on tequilana and Americana thorns point down and running finger in that direction, you get hurt.

If this is true then it's very useful information. I was recently given an offset of "blue tequila agave" as a free gift by a seller I bought some other agaves from. I would like to ID it. According to your info the spines are facing the wrong way for it to be A. tequilana. So probably I can rule that out at least. Not that I was expecting it to be one.

[Papahuel]

the direction of the thorns on the leaf. You can run your finger bottom to the top without getting hurt on tequilana and Americana thorns point down and running finger in that direction, you get hurt.

If this is true then it's very useful information. I was recently given an offset of "blue tequila agave" as a free gift by a seller I bought some other agaves from. I would like to ID it. According to your info the spines are facing the wrong way for it to be A. tequilana. So probably I can rule that out at least. Not that I was expecting it to be one.

I had read this a couple of places re the marginals all going the same direction, however having grown then from seed into plants that look to definitely be A tequiliana some have the marginals running all in the same direction and some don't.

Potentially vegetative propagation vs seed grown variability.

[Papahuel]

Further to my last post here are pics.

Two tequiliana I grew from the same pack of seed that are around 5-6yo now, they grow under a Jacaranda tree in 50-60% sun so that's why they are a little leany and floppy, but that is by the by, plant on right has all marginals pointing upwards whereas plant on left seems to do whatever direction it pleases with marginals:

teqs.jpg (532.74 KiB) Viewed 744 times

teq right.jpg (277.31 KiB) Viewed 744 times

teq left.jpg (232.48 KiB) Viewed 744 times

[RCDS66]

Thanks for a very educative discussion guys.
So one thing is certain that it is not tequilana and that it is most probably americana var oaxacensis.

[Gee.S]

^ Much easier to say what it isn't, than what it is...

[coz]

When I received these plants they were the size of a thumb, since then only 1 leaf of the 9 plants has teeth, which keeps me guessing.

[Gee.S]

When I received these plants they were the size of a thumb, since then only 1 leaf of the 9 plants has teeth, which keeps me guessing.

No need to guess. Definitely A. sisalana.

[coz]

When I received these plants they were the size of a thumb, since then only 1 leaf of the 9 plants has teeth, which keeps me guessing.

No need to guess. Definitely A. sisalana.

Thanks, that was one of the guesses

[RCDS66]

Few days back found the same agave that we have identified as A. americana var. oaxacensis growing at a different location in the low hills around Islamabad. Height of the tallest plant was around 6 ft.