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Agave parryi

Engelm.

Parry's Agave

G5Secure Found in 40 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.958964
Element CodePMAGA01150
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderAsparagales
FamilyAsparagaceae
GenusAgave
Other Common Names
Parry's agave (EN) Parry's Century Plant (EN)
Concept Reference
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2002a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 26. Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxvi + 723 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
This record represents the broad concept of Agave parryi, including A. neomexicana as A. parryi ssp. neomexicana, following FNA (vol. 26, 2002). According to the treatment in FNA (vol. 26, 2002), there are two subspecies in A. parryi, A. parryi ssp. neomexicana, and A. parryi ssp. parry, with no varieties within subspecies neomexicana, and three varieties in the flora within subspecies parryi: (var. couesii, var. huachucensis, and var. parryi). More recent treatments such as Heil and O'Kane (2025) simply recognize A. parryi as having variety level infrataxa; in New Mexico this is A. parryi var. neomexicana and A. parryi var. parryi. Also differing, Kartesz (1994) recognized A. neomexicana at full species level, and included A. parryi var. couesii in A. parryi var. parryi.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2026-02-06
Change Date2016-01-08
Edition Date2026-02-06
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2026)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Agave parryi is a wide-ranging perennial succulent, forb to shrub found in gravelly to rocky places in grasslands, desert scrub, chaparral, pinyon-juniper, pine woodlands, and oak woodlands. It occurs in southwestern North America in Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas in the United States south to Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Guanajuato, and Sonora, Mexico. There are over 1,000 occurrences. Little is known about threats or trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, abundant habitat, and broad habitat preferences, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Agave parryi occurs in southwestern North America in Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas in the United States south to Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Guanajuato, and Sonora, Mexico (FNA 2002, eFloraMex 2026). Range extent was estimated to be over 900,000 square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1994 and 2025 (RARECAT 2025, GBIF 2026, iNaturalist 2026, SEINet 2026).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1994 and 2025, it is estimated that there are over 1,000 occurrences rangewide (RARECAT 2025, GBIF 2026, iNaturalist 2026, NatureServe 2026, SEINet 2026). This species is commonly cultivated (FNA 2002), and iNatualist observations (3500) were not evaluated for evidence of cultivation, though observations outside the native range were excluded (iNaturalist 2026).
Threat Impact Comments
Hodgson et al. (2020) note, "This species has no major threats as it proliferates easily asexually, its a big plant so cattle do not trample on them."
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Agave parryi grows in gravelly to rocky places in grasslands, desert scrub, chaparral, pinyon-juniper, pine woodlands, and oak woodlands (FNA 2002).

Reproduction

Plants are monocarpic, meaning they flower once in their lifetime and then die, with flowering occurring after 12-20 years (Wildflower Center 2026). Plants also create colonies, freely suckering at the base of parent plants (FNA 2002).
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedShrubland/chaparralGrassland/herbaceousDesert
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
TexasSNRYes
ArizonaSNRYes
New MexicoSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)Yes
Roadless Areas (40)
Arizona (24)
AreaForestAcres
Arnold MesaPrescott National Forest12,286
Black CanyonPrescott National Forest10,683
Blind Indian CreekPrescott National Forest26,847
BoulderTonto National Forest40,359
Cdo WsaCoronado National Forest1,955
Cherry CreekTonto National Forest11,371
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
Connell MountainsPrescott National Forest7,926
FritschePrescott National Forest14,190
GaliuroCoronado National Forest28,333
Hell HoleApache-Sitgreaves National Forests15,512
HellsgateTonto National Forest6,171
Lower San FranciscoApache-Sitgreaves National Forests59,310
MazatzalTonto National Forest16,942
Middle Dragoon RoadlessCoronado National Forest10,543
Mitchell PeakApache-Sitgreaves National Forests35,398
Painted BluffsApache-Sitgreaves National Forests43,118
PinalenoCoronado National Forest130,920
Pine Mountain Wilderness ContiguousTonto National Forest6,518
PipestemApache-Sitgreaves National Forests34,598
Santa RitaCoronado National Forest6,078
Sierra Ancha Wilderness ContiguousTonto National Forest7,787
WhetstoneCoronado National Forest20,728
WinchesterCoronado National Forest13,459
New Mexico (16)
AreaForestAcres
Contiguous To Black & Aldo Leopold WildernessGila National Forest111,883
Contiguous To Gila Wilderness & Primitive AreaGila National Forest79,049
Devils CreekGila National Forest89,916
Frisco BoxGila National Forest38,979
Hell HoleGila National Forest19,553
Jefferies CanyonLincoln National Forest8,934
Last Chance CanyonLincoln National Forest8,934
Little Dog And Pup CanyonsLincoln National Forest25,412
Lower San FranciscoGila National Forest26,460
Meadow CreekGila National Forest34,167
North Rocky CanyonLincoln National Forest8,068
Ortega PeakLincoln National Forest11,545
Sawyers PeakGila National Forest59,743
Scott MesaCibola National Forest39,515
South Guadalupe MountainsLincoln National Forest20,930
West Face Sacramento MountainsLincoln National Forest41,176
References (10)
  1. eFloraMex. 2026. La flora electronica de Mexico. Online. Available: www.efloramex.ib.unam.mx (accessed 2026).
  2. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2002a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 26. Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxvi + 723 pp.
  3. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2026. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2026).
  4. Heil, K.D., and S.L. O'Kane. 2025. Vascular plants of New Mexico. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis. 1119 pp.
  5. Hodgson, W., Puente, R., and A. Salywon. 2020.<i> Agave parryi</i>. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T115689594A116354283. Online. Available:https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T115689594A116354283.en (accessed 2026).
  6. iNaturalist. 2026. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2026).
  7. Kartesz, 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.
  8. <p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>
  9. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2026. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2026).
  10. Wildflower Center. 2026. Native Plant Database. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Austin Texas. Online. Available: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/ (accessed 2026).