Swan's neck agave, foxtail agave, dragon-tree agave or spineless agave is a species of agave sometimes known as the "lion's tail", "foxtail", “elephant’s trunk”, for its development of a curved stem, unusual among agaves. Native to the plateau of central Mexico, as one of the unarmed agaves, it is popular as an ornamental plant in gardens. The stems typically range from 50-150 cm in length, and eventually old leaves fall off, leaving them naked and visible. The plants have a large rosette of thick fleshy leaves generally ending in a sharp point. It may take up to 10 years to bloom. Swan’s neck agave's flower spike is a thing of wonder, and will either produce greenish-yellow flowers or thousands of small plantlets, on its' entire length. Each plant stalk blooms only once. Unlike other members of it's family this plant doesn't die after flowering. Agave attenuata are best propagated by digging pups produced at the base of older plants and seeds germinate readily when they are fresh. I took this photograph on 3rd October, 2011 during the Dussehra flower show in Mysore. Being leap day today i dedicate this to everyone!
