The Gentry Agave Collection
In 2006, arboretum volunteers planted a garden under the shade of trees on the south side of the Physics and Atmospheric Sciences building. Over time, some specimens multiplied and thrived while others in the garden gradually completed their lifespan. In 2024, we invited other volunteers to assist in collecting and planting replacements. We also installed a bronze interpretive sign that will stand the test of time and anchor the location in the long term as a tribute to the World's leading Agave expert Howard Scott Gentry.
The list of plants installed are listed below. You may locate these on the arboretum's interactive map by clicking here. You may also view detailed descriptions of each by clicking on the hyperlinked species names in the table below.
| Species | Common Name |
| Agave americana var. medio picta | white striped agave |
| Agave americana 'Marginata' | varigated century plant |
| Agave angustifolia | Caribbean agave |
| Agave applanata 'Cream Spike's | variegated grey agave |
| Agave attenuata | foxtail agave |
| Agave aurea | golden agave |
| Agave bovicornuta | cow horn agave |
| Agave cf. salmiana (from A. horrida seed) | unknown agave |
| Agave chazeroi | Chazaro's agave |
| Agave colorata | coastal agave |
| Agave desmettiana | smooth leaf agave |
| Agave dissimulens | none |
| Agave isthmensis - coastal | dwarf butterfly agave |
| Agave isthmensis - inland | dwarf butterfly agave |
| Agave 'Little Shark' | Little Shark' agave |
| Agave macroacantha | blackspined agave |
| Agave margarita x parrasana | Agave hybrid |
| Agave montana | mountain agave |
| Agave murphei 'Variegata' | variegated Murphey agave |
| Agave oteroi | Sierra Mixta agave |
| Agave ovatifolia | whale's tongue |
| Agave pachycentra | UFO agave |
| Agave parryi 'Huachuchensis' | Huachucha agave |
| Agave potatorum | butterfly agave |
| Agave quiotepecensis | lion's tail agave |
| Agave salmiana | giant agave |
| Agave sobria | gulf agave |
| Agave striata | narrow leaf century plant |
| Agave titanota 'Black and Blue' | black and blue rancho tambor agave |
| Agave toumeyana var. bella | Toumey's century plant |
| Agave univittata | holly agave |
| Agave univittata 'Quadricolor' | thorncrest century plant |
| Agave victoria-regenae | Queen victoria agave |
| Agave vivipara | Caribbean agave |
The before and after photos are shown below.
BEFORE - JUNE 2024:
Only four, aging and possibly lonely agave remain hunkered down in the filtered shade of trees on the south side of the Physics and Atmospheric Sciences building. The members of this special collection, originally planted in 2006, have either completed natural life span or struggled with adaptation to this site and died in the last 18 years. The original interpretive sign remains but is small, low to the ground and easily overlooked.
VOLUNTEER PLANTING EVENT - 2024:
AFTER - NOVEMBER 2024:
More than 30 species are now represented in the garden expanded to three times the size. A larger, 12" x 18" , elevated, bronze interpretive sign also now anchors the expansive garden, reserving this area of the UA Science Concourse as a lasting tribute to Howard Gentry and a resource supporting university missions.
