Among the popular foliage plants with large, elegantly wavy leaves, A. attenuata stands out with its chic blue-gray coloring, just as its name "Boutin Blue" suggests. While it's often grown as a tree-form foliage plant—so you might not notice at first glance—this large cultivar can grow up to about 150 cm both in height and width, creating an impressive presence. Like many agaves, it's sensitive to cold and has even been known to suffer freeze damage, so winter care indoors is recommended (though the photo shows one planted outdoors!). The name "Boutin" honors Fred Boutin, a botanist at the Huntington Botanical Gardens in California. There are differing theories about whether its origins lie in selective breeding or hybridization.
| Season Type | Summer |
|---|---|
| Sun Exposure | Full Sun |
| Hardiness | -5℃ / 23℉ |
| Blooming Season | - |
Gray display shows general information for Agave.
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Boutin Blue is a selected variety of A. attenuata , known for its stunning blue-gray leaves covered in a thick, white waxy layer. There are other varieties that look similar (or rather, share the same origins, like sibling cultivars), such as Nova A. attenuata 'Nova' , though I haven't seen them in Japan.
According to Sora Botanical Garden, this plant may be a (natural?) hybrid between A. attenuata and another species (they support the hybrid theory since it has wider leaves and more cold resistance than attenuata). However, overseas, it's commonly considered a selected form. According to San Marcos GROWNERS, Boutin Blue originated from a blue selection gathered by Fred Boutin and others in 1970 from the Sierra de Manantlan in Jalisco. Here’s a brief summary of its history:
① In 1970, Myron Kimnack and Fred Boutin collected seeds in Mexico.
② In 1984, Huntington Botanical Garden released a plant as "attenuata var. nov." (a new variant of attenuata), which was renamed "attenuata 'Nova'" in 1990.
③ In 2003, Huntington Botanical Garden declared that this "attenuata 'Nova'" was, scientifically, the same species as attenuata. All the previously released subspecies and variants were reclassified as "horticultural varieties."
④ In 2012, from among those, one plant was further selected by Huntington Botanical Garden and mass-propagated by Rancho Tissue Technologies, officially named "Boutin Blue."
With this much detail about its background, you’d think there’s really not much room to argue it’s a hybrid. But because the original seeds were wild collected, it's not out of the question that they resulted from natural hybridization—and in this field, that's not uncommon. That said, the most recent academic stance is "Huntington Botanical Garden considers it the same as attenuata," so unless new evidence changes that, the hybrid theory remains just a suspicion.
アテナータ ボーチンブルー 大好きでいつも観に行ってます。 アガベは、花が咲いたら枯れるけど この木も枯れますか？
Agave attenuata 'Boutin Blue' and Aloe barberae https://t.co/iyqOwLC3Id
#アガベ #アテナータ #ボーチンブルー ちょっと青色の品種のやつです、まだまだ小さくてもっと幹も太く葉も大きくしてガチムチにしたいのでたっぷり日差しをあてたいと思います https://t.co/WJ7bMh8uXh
ここ最近朝練ボウズ続き 周りも全然釣れてません #植物#植物のある暮らし #ボタニカル#アガベ#アテナータ#ボーチンブルー#プロテア#ピンクアイス#plants#green#botanical#agave#attenuata #boutinblue #protea #pinkice
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