Last week's column intentionally introduced Agaves, leaving out Titanota. But this week is all about Titanota! Still, this isn’t your typical encyclopedia showing off fully grown, stunning specimens — instead, we've purposely assembled an encyclopedia of just the tiniest, tiniest pups.
After all, big mature specimens are simply expensive and hard to get, right? But as for the more affordable young ones, who knows if they'll really grow into those showy, classic shapes? Or if they’re even the "real deal" to begin with... That’s exactly the kind of uncertainty we want to help clear up. The ultimate goal of this feature is to help you tell apart the different named types even when they're still tiny pups.
Please note: Due to limitations in how many I own, I can't introduce every single variety, and since I haven’t raised these pups to full maturity, there’s a chance that a few might turn out to be something different. This guide will be updated as we go.
Babies with 2–3 Leaves
Whether they're seed-grown or mericlone, this is the smallest size with enough strength to be removed and sold. When offset-grown, a pup with this many leaves often looks like a squished, young version of a mature plant.
Number One The classic Agave representative. Not a lot of unique features at this size, but maybe those subtle spines are a hint that it’s Number One.
Black and Blue Fewer, straight spines — although this plant might be from an offset.
Red Catweazle Alternating leaf growth is its biggest marker at this stage. Narrow leaves and slightly more spines.
Hades Nearly died from under-watering, so it doesn’t really show characteristics, but maybe that long central spine is on theme.
Hades A little healthier now after some water. Still, with fine spines and a form much like Number One, it’s hard to tell apart.
South African Diamond Fine, wiry, white spines are its giveaway. Unlikely to confuse this one if you look for that trait.
White Rhino Similar to South African Diamond, but with shorter, fewer spines.
Cat Claw Variegated Just rooted — slender leaves and barely any spines, so not looking very “Titanota” at this stage.
Spade Modest teeth on the edges. The leaves are slender and sharply pointed.
Lion's Mane Continuous, shaggy teeth lining the leaves is its calling card even early on.
Juggernaut Even when tiny, thick curling leaves and subtle spines really stand out.
Hojyu Growing kind of long and stretched… Character ID is extra tough for this one.
No Name These are my own seed-grown seedlings. At this size, you’ll start to notice distinct personalities. Compare with the other named ones on this page and you might get a sense of how yours will turn out!
Pygmaea Bonus shot — a couple of pygmaea that happened to sprout together out of the seed sowings. Look closely and you can see their form is unlike Titanota even now.
5–6 Leaf Pups
With several more months of growth, leaves start to change and take on a bit more strength and definition. By this stage, some varieties show their signature traits and personalities! But… honestly, some are still really hard to figure out.
Number One Strong, but sparse spines. The yellowish tint might just be due to growing conditions.
Black and Blue A bluer tone is coming in. The spines have wide gaps. Leaves are broad and thin.
Filigree At this size, you really see its abundance of spines and that wild, full look.
Red Catweazle Even now, leaves open alternately and it can get a reddish tinge. The pale one in the back is Titanota Variegated.
Gorineko Also has a fan-shaped form, and honestly, there's no telling it apart from a normal Neko at this point…
Caesar Fine, curly spines are present even on small plants.
Hades Like Number One, but more and finer spines, plus a gentle twist.
South African Diamond Long, dense, white spines — gives almost a jailhouse vibe.
South African Diamond If offset-grown, you get chubby, prominent spines even on young plants.
Juggernaut Really shows rounded, broad leaves and mild teeth, classic for this variety.
Cat Claw Variegated Finally sees the start of actual "spines." Seems overall this one is just very mild in that department.
Akumakun (Yubae Ganryu) It’s showing seasonal variegation, so sadly not likely to be the real Akumakun.
Akumakun Despite the size, the teeth are already impressive. But since this is probably from an offset, it may be a temporary thing, and whether it'll keep that Akumakun vibe is anyone’s guess.
Hell Cat Also from offsets. Has the same level of tough teeth as Akumakun.
Ronin Its fierce spines really stand out from the rest.
8–10 Leaf — Character Coming In
Another 3–6 months down the line. Some are ahead, some lagging, but with around this many leaves, you’ll generally see the variety’s character emerge — or you might say, unless you reach this size, the variety’s identity stays hidden.
Hell Cat Still small, but already with that mature look. The spines are out-of-this-world fierce, with extra thorns on the back, so it’s hard not to recognize.
Closing Thoughts
Most of the plants in this encyclopedia were acquired back when mericlone propagation had just exploded on the scene, and the whole market was swirling with talk: “Are these even real?”
That’s when I started putting this feature together, wishing there was an atlas for spotting varieties while still so small. Now, funnily enough, virtually none of those tiny pups are being sold at all! The plants that were beans back then have grown up and that’s what you see for sale now.
So maybe mericlone production of Agave has already stopped? Or, perhaps because it’s just so hard to distinguish seedlings when they’re tiny, sellers have decided not to bother anymore.
In that case, I hope this guide stands ready for when those affordable baby plants come back to the market. I’ll keep prepping — and I’d be super happy if we see a revival of fun-sized specimens! Thanks for reading and wish me luck!
