Species name :

Agave americanaL.
Published in Sp. Pl. 323 (1753)

Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.)

Agave milleri Haw.

Full list of synonyms : [Euro+Med] [WFO] [IPNI] [POWO] [Catalogue of Life] [Worldplants.de]

Plant Family :

Asparagaceae Juss. (The Asparagus Family) Previously included in Liliaceae
33 species from the Asparagaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands.

English name(s) :

American Agave, Century Plant, American Aloe

Maltese name(s) :

Sabbara tal-Amerika, Agave

Status for Malta :

Invasive Alien. Species that was introduced in Malta any time after year 1492 (Columbus' discovery of the New World), and spreads rapidly to form large invasive populations to the detriment of native flora or ecosystems.

Frequency :

Very Common     Common    Frequent     Scarce     Rare    Very rare    Extinct

Growth form :

Germination type [info]: Monocotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Macro-Phanerophyte ( high trees usually over 5 m high )

Legal Protection :

Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025)

Red List (1989) :

Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands

Flowering Time :

July – September

Colour of Flowers:

Green or Cream

Toxicity:

May cause allergic reactions or irritation in contact with the skin or mucous membranes

Name Derivation :

Agave: from the Greek 'agauos', meaning admirable or noble, in reference to the supposedly admirable appearance of the century plant (at least when they are in numerous flowers). (Greek origin)

americana: ()

Planting in rural areas :

Cannot be planted in the wild (rural areas) since the species may be invasive (see ERA guidelines)

Remarks :

Introduced as an ornamental plant and became invasive in several wild places namely by the coast. Examples include Bahar ic-Caghaq (near Maghtab), Ghar Lapsi and Ta' Cenc. Flowers are produced once in the plant's lifetime, after 10 to 100 years and then the plant dies. The flowering stalk is impressively large and tall and holds both seed-producing flowers (sexual reproduction) and reproductive plantlets (asexual reproduction).