Description: Woody trunk from spiny agave-form rosette, with clusters of sharp-pointed leaves, dead leaves often hang as skirt. 
Height: To 25 ft., usually 6 to 12 ft. 
Flowers: Small, creamy-white in clusters (panicles) extending above foliage; late Winter - early Spring 
Fruit: Reddish-brown, fleshy capsules drying woody 
Foliage: Evergreen, simple, elongated leaves 
Spines: Short, black spines at leaf tips 
Bark: Dark-reddish-brown, thick with fissures and ridges breaking into plates 
Growth Rate: Fast (about 1 foot per year) 

Requirements: 
Sun: Full sun to partial shade, growing eventually above surrounding shrubs 
Soil: Many types 
Drainage: Well-drained Water: Low, drought tolerant 
Maintenance: None, if not planted near walkways 
Propagation: Seeds, cuttings from rhizomes, stems or pups 

Native Habitat: Clay lomas, chaparrals, thornforest clearings, laguna isles 

Wildlife Use: 
Flowers - pollinating moths 
Fruit - moth caterpillars 
Nest sites - Northern Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Gray Hawk, Harris' Hawk, Cactus Wren 
Leaves - White-tailed Deer, livestock Young trunks consumed by Javalinas 

Comments: Native people used every part of plant; roots once used as soap; requires pronuba moths for pollination; striking accent plant