Agave palmeri

Agave palmeri is a wide-ranging perennial succulent, forb to shrub found in grasslands and grassy plains, oak savannas and woodlands, pine dominated communities, and also disturbed habitats. It occurs in southwestern North America in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico in the United States, south to Chihuahua and Sonora in northwestern Mexico. There are over 700 occurrences, which face threats from development, conversion to agriculture, wild harvest, border wall construction and activities, potentially hybridization, and other threats in some places. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, abundant habitat, and broad habitat preferences, this species is considered secure.

Agave palmeri occurs in southwestern North America in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico in the United States, south to Chihuahua and Sonora in northwestern Mexico (FNA 2002, Salywon 2019). Range extent was estimated to be over 200,000 square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1994 and 2025 (RARECAT 2025, GBIF 2026, iNaturalist 2026, SEINet 2026).

By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1994 and 2025, it is estimated that there are over 700 occurrences rangewide (RARECAT 2025, GBIF 2026, iNaturalist 2026, SEINet 2026).

Although threats are not widely documented, this species is threatened by housing and commercial development, conversion to agriculture (e.g., vineyards), harvesting inflorescences for cattle feed (reduces reproductive success) as well as wild harvest for making bacanora, border wall construction and activities in southeastern Arizona, potentially hybridization (with A. chrysantha in Arizona), and other threats in some places, though there is insufficient data, including anecdotal accounts, to understand scope and severity of threats for this species (FNA 2002, Salywon 2019).