Flower profile

Parry's agave

Agave parryi

Native in the lower 48

Parry's agave is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–July.

3states

2of our state lists

4,226U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Arizona, New Mexico

Quick look

Agave parryi, known as Parry's agave or mescal agave, is a flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. It is a slow-growing succulent perennial native to Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico.
From Wikipedia's article Agave parryi, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asparagaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a shrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 3 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Arizona and New Mexico. ^NatureServe
In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–August. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,483 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #37 among the 109 flowers on our Arizona list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,081 research-grade sightings of it in New Mexico, ranking #45 among the 109 flowers on our New Mexico list. ^iNaturalist

Parry's agave gift ideas

Handmade parry's agave gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Parry's agave art print
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Parry's agave greeting card
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Parry's agave mug
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Parry's agave earrings
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Parry's agave embroidery pattern
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Parry's agave sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (42 records)

Bloom time in each of our 2 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Arizona	Native	April–August	2,483
New Mexico	Native	few records	1,081

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Arizona: Not listed Not on Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arizona. ^{AAC R3-3 App. A}
New Mexico: Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Mexico. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleEdible (per NC State Extension)

NC State Extension notes: “The leaves and stalk are edible” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records parry's agave in 3 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, New Mexico, Texas.

Arizona counties with USDA records: Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Maricopa, Navajo, Pima, Santa Cruz.

New Mexico counties with USDA records: Catron, Dona Ana, Eddy, Grant, Sierra.

More Arizona flowers

Yuccas

Yucca

★ NM state flowerNative

🌼 Blooms: February–June

Blue dicks

Dipterostemon capitatus

🌼 Blooms in AZ: February–April

Soaptree yucca

Yucca elata

Native

🌼 Blooms in AZ: April–June

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile AGPA4.
iNaturalist, Agave parryi: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Agave parryi (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Arizona: Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025).
Arizona: Arizona prohibited noxious weeds (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-4-245).
New Mexico: New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC).
New Mexico: New Mexico Noxious Weed List (NM Department of Agriculture, updated June 2020).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Agave parryi (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Michelle W. （鍾偉瑋） via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.