Description.
Plant Small to medium, single or cespitose, compact, light green to dark green, freely seeding rosettes with numerous heavily armed leaves. Leaves 25-40 x 5-8 cm, variable, ovate, rigid, straight to upcurved, plane to somewhat hollowed above, thickly convex below, smooth, pale green to green; margin heavy, continuous, straight to undulate between teeth, teeth reddish brown, straight to curved or flexuous, frequently downslanted and curved, 3-6mm long 5-12 mm apart with occasional interstitial teeth; spines mostly 2-3.5 cm long, reddish brown straight, long grooved above, rounded below.
Habitat Lava beds. Partial shade.
This plant produced no offsets but has now flowered. See pictures Here
Agave obscura is identified as synonymous with agave polyacantha v. xalapensis ( Chazaro- Basanez 1981 and Ullrich 1992 ). Schiede's original agave obscura is considered in work by Chazaro Basanez 1981 and Ullrich 1992 as the same plant as agave xalapensis which Gentry treated as a variety of agave polyacantha.
