Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.153399
Element CodePMAGA01040
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderAsparagales
FamilyAsparagaceae
GenusAgave
SynonymsAgave palmeri var. chrysantha(Peebles) Little
Other Common NamesGoldenflower Century Plant (EN) Golden-flowered Agave (EN) Golden-flowered Century Plant (EN)
Concept ReferenceKartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2026-01-21
Change Date2006-01-18
Edition Date2026-01-21
Edition AuthorsMaybury, K. (1996), rev. Soteropoulos (2026)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank ReasonsAgave chrysantha is a perennial succulent, forb to shrub found in open habitats, on various substrates in desert scrub, grasslands, pinyon-juniper woodlands, and oak woodlands. It is endemic to the southwestern United States in central and south-central Arizona. There are over 200 occurrences with large subpopulations, which face threats from urban and industrial development, reservoir expansion, 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 apparently secure.
Range Extent CommentsAgave chrysantha is endemic to the southwestern United States in central and south-central Arizona, where it has been documented in Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, and Yavapai counties (FNA 2002, Hodgson et al. 2020, SEINet 2026). Range extent was estimated to be over 50,000 square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1994 and 2025 (RARECAT 2025, GBIF 2026, iNaturalist 2026, SEINet 2026).
Occurrences CommentsBy 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 200 occurrences rangewide (RARECAT 2025, GBIF 2026, iNaturalist 2026, SEINet 2026). This taxon is occasionally cultivated, and observations were not evaluated for evidence of cultivation, though observations outside the native range were excluded.
Threat Impact CommentsAlthough threats are not widely documented, this species is threatened by urban and industrial development, reservoir expansion, hybridization (with A. murpheyi, A. palmeri, A. parryi var. couesii, and A. delamateri), 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, Hodgson et al. 2020).