Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Dwarf Butterfly Agave (Kichiokan)
Dwarf Butterfly Agave (Kichiokan) is a compact Japanese selection of the butterfly agave, Agave potatorum. Short, wide, blue-gray leaves with creamy-yellow margins curl upward like spoons into a tight, symmetrical rosette about a foot tall and a foot and a half wide. Rusty red teeth line the edges. It grows slowly and suits pots and small beds, with some shade from the harshest summer sun.
Best for: patio pots and dish-style planters, small beds, and a compact rosette near an entry.
It stays about a foot tall and a foot and a half wide. Because it grows slowly, it can live in the same pot of fast-draining mix for years.
The short, upcurved leaves form a neat, even rosette. Set it near an entry or path edge where the shape can be seen, but back far enough that the teeth do not catch legs.
In the low desert, butterfly agaves do best with some shade, such as the filtered shade of a small desert tree. Morning sun and afternoon shade works too.
It is damaged below about 25°F, and soggy soil rots the roots. Keep it dry in winter and cover it on frosty nights.
- Tight group2 ft apart, center to center
- Looser group3 ft apart, center to center
Plant into dry soil and wait about 1 to 2 weeks before the first watering in warm weather. Then water about every other week while nights stay above 60°F. Light shade cloth for the first few weeks helps it settle in.
Water deeply in the warm months when the soil has dried. Cut back to every few weeks in fall and winter.
Give it bright light with some shade from the harshest summer sun, such as filtered shade or afternoon shade.
Cover it with frost cloth that reaches the ground on frosty nights, or move a pot under cover.
Watch for wilting or wrinkled leaves and a plant that rocks loose. Overwatered agaves draw the beetle, so keep the soil on the dry side and remove an infested plant quickly.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
What is Kichiokan?
It is a compact selection of the butterfly agave, Agave potatorum, from Japanese growers. The name is also spelled Kichijokan or Kissho Kan.
How big does it get?
It grows slowly to about a foot to a foot and a half tall and about a foot and a half wide.
Does it have variegated leaves?
Yes, the blue-gray leaves have creamy-yellow margins, with reddish teeth along the edges. We also list a Variegated Dwarf Butterfly Agave separately, so compare the two listings for the look you want.
How much sun does it need?
Bright light with some shade from the harshest summer sun. Filtered shade from a small desert tree or afternoon shade suits it in the Valley.
How often should I water it?
Water deeply in the warm months when the soil has dried, and much less in winter. It is drought tolerant once rooted.
How cold can it take?
It is rated to about 25°F. Cover it with frost cloth on frosty nights, or move a pot under cover.
Does it bloom?
Only after many years, on a tall stalk of pale green flowers tinged red. The rosette that blooms then dies.
Is it safe around pets?
Agave sap is mildly irritating if chewed, and the leaf teeth and tip can poke. Keep pets from chewing on it.
Dwarf Butterfly Agave (Kichiokan) for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Dwarf Butterfly Agave (Kichiokan) is a compact selection of Agave potatorum. It has blue-gray leaves with creamy-yellow margins. Below are the questions people ask most, from size and leaves to sun, water, frost and pot care.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
What is Kichiokan agave?
It is a compact Japanese selection of the butterfly agave, with spoon-shaped, upcurved blue-gray leaves edged in creamy yellow.
How big does it get?
About 1 to 1.5 feet tall and 1.5 feet wide, and it grows slowly.
Sun in the Valley
Bright light with some shade from the harshest summer sun.
Watering Kichiokan agave
Deep water in the warm months when dry, much less in winter.
Is it frost hardy?
It is rated to about 25°F. Protect it on frosty nights.
Is Kichiokan agave variegated?
Yes, its blue-gray leaves carry creamy-yellow margins. We also list a Variegated Dwarf Butterfly Agave separately.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.