Agave virginica
Agave virginica, synonym Manfreda virginica, commonly known as the false aloe, American aloe, Virginia agave, and eastern agave, is a species of agave. Older references occasionally used rattlesnake master to refer to Manfreda virginica, though current usage of rattlesnake master primarily refers to Eryngium yuccifolium. It is native to the central and southeastern United States and northeastern Mexico, where it is found in prairies, upland rocky glades, and sandy open woods.
Description
False aloe is acaulescent, meaning the stem is extremely short. Leaves and flowering stems grow from a bulbous herbaceous caudex. The fleshy green leaves, usually spotted or speckled with maroon, are long and across. The leaf margins have fine teeth and leaves taper to a non-spiny tip. Leaf shape and size in Agave virginica vary with soil type, amount of shade, length of cold period, and position of leaf in the rosette. Speckles and spots occur frequently on some leaves in most populations, and some authors have used the informal designation "forma tigrina" for such variants.In early summer, leafless flower stalks emerge from the basal rosettes of leaves, growing rapidly up to tall. The inflorescence appears June to August, with 10–61 closely spaced flowers grouped in a spike that is about long. Each flower, long, is whitish green or yellowish green, essentially tubular, nearly erect, and slender, with a fragrant sweet fruity odor. Seed capsules are spherical and in diameter.