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Home/Species/ Havard's Agave

Agave havardiana

Trel.

Havard's Agave

G4Apparently Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
VulnerableIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.134079
Element CodePMAGA010A0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
IUCNVulnerable
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderAsparagales
FamilyAsparagaceae
GenusAgave
Other Common Names
Havard's Century Plant (EN) Havard's century plant (EN)
Concept Reference
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.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2026-01-22
Change Date1994-02-01
Edition Date2026-01-22
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2026)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Rank Reasons
Agave havardiana is a wide-ranging perennial succulent, forb to shrub found in gravelly to rocky, often calcareous (limestone) places, mainly in grasslands, from desert or xerophyllous scrub up to pinyon-juniper and oak woodlands. It occurs in south central North America in southern Texas, United States, and Chihuahua and Coahuila, Mexico. There are over 81 occurrences, which face threats from grazing and continued expansion of cattle ranching, fracking, wild harvesting of plants, hybridization, and other threats in some places. Long-term trend is likely 40%, and while declines continue, short-term trend is unknown. With a large range extent and moderate number of occurrences, this species is considered apparently secure.
Range Extent Comments
Agave havardiana occurs in south central North America in southern Texas, United States, and Chihuahua and Coahuila, Mexico (FNA 2002, Hernández Sandoval et al. 2020). Range extent was estimated to be over 100,000 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 and photo-based observations documented between 1994 and 2025, it is estimated that there are over 81 occurrences rangewide (RARECAT 2025, GBIF 2026, iNaturalist 2026, SEINet 2026).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is threatened by grazing and continued expansion of cattle ranching, fracking, wild harvesting of plants, hybridization (with A. lechuguilla to form A. ×glomeruliflora, with which it may also hybridize), 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, Hernández Sandoval et al. 2020).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Agave havardiana grows in gravelly to rocky, often calcareous (limestone) places, mainly in grasslands, from desert or xerophyllous scrub up to pinyon-juniper and oak woodlands (FNA 2002, Hernández Sandoval et al. 2020).

Reproduction

This taxon flowers in the summer (June) to early fall (September) (FNA 2002, Wildflower Center 2026). Plants are not reproductive until they reach 20-50 years, with a reproductive span of at least 90 year and an average generation length estimated at 62 years (Hernández Sandoval et al. 2020). Plants rarely create colonies, sparsely suckering at the base of parent plants (FNA 2002, Wildflower Center 2026).
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedShrubland/chaparralGrassland/herbaceousDesert
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
TexasS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranchingUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
2.3.2 - Small-holder grazing, ranching or farmingUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
2.3.3 - Agro-industry grazing, ranching or farmingUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
3 - Energy production & miningUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
3.1 - Oil & gas drillingUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
5 - Biological resource useUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
5.2 - Gathering terrestrial plantsUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
5.2.1 - Intentional use (species being assessed is the target)UnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
8.3 - Introduced genetic materialUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)Yes
Roadless Areas (1)
New Mexico (1)
AreaForestAcres
South Guadalupe MountainsLincoln National Forest20,930
References (8)
  1. 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.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2026. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2026).
  3. Hernández Sandoval, L., Sandoval-Gutiérrez, D., Hernández-Martínez, M.M., Sánchez, E., González-Elizondo, M., Zamudio, S., and M.L. Matías-Palafox. 2020. <i>Agave havardiana</i>. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T115629519A116353923. Online. Available: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T115629519A116353923.en (accessed 2026).
  4. iNaturalist. 2026. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2026).
  5. 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.
  6. <p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>
  7. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2026. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2026).
  8. Wildflower Center. 2026. Native Plant Database. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Austin Texas. Online. Available: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/ (accessed 2026).