''Agave univittata'', the thorn-crested century plant or thorn-crested agave, is a plant species native to coastal areas of southern Texas and northeastern Mexico, at elevations less than 100 m (300 feet). It has been widely named ''Agave lophantha'' by botanists including

Howard Scott Gentry Howard Scott Gentry (December 10, 1903 – April 1, 1993) was an American botanist recognized as the world's leading authority on the agaves. Gentry was born in Temecula, California. In 1931 he received an A.B. (bachelor's) degree in vertebrate z ...

, but the name ''A. univittata'' is older and therefore more in accord with nomenclatural rules of botany. ''Agave univittata'' has thick, fleshy leaves that are stiff and undulate (wavy) along the margins. It has sharp and prominent spines on the edges and tips of the leaves. Flowering stalk is up to 5 m (16 feet) tall, bearing greenish-white to yellow-ish green flowers. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant, and in the UK the

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

'Quadricolor' has won the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

's Award of Garden Merit. Because the species is widespread and the overall population is stable, it is not considered by the IUCN to be threatened.

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{{Taxonbar, from=Q10923791 univittata Flora of Northeastern Mexico Flora of Texas Flora of Tamaulipas