Mangave ‘Black Widow’, a new Steve Super hybrid

The majority of mangaves you find in retail nurseries come from Walters Gardens and are sold under their Mad About Mangave brand. In addition, you might come across a couple of mangaves from Altman Plants at Lowe’s or The Home Depot (like ‘Barney’ and ‘Tequila Fire’).

But there’s quite a bit of mangave breeding going on away from the commercial mainstream. Backyard growers and hobbyists have begun to make their own hybrids, either creating entirely new crosses or building on existing ones. Many mangaves flower at relatively young age so there’s plenty of opportunity to use them as pollen or seed parents.

For example, Brian Kemble, the curator of the Ruth Bancroft Garden, has created several new mangaves based on his own manfreda hybrids. You can see them planted out in the garden, including this ×Mangave ‘Blue Fountain’. Nick Deinhart, known primarily for his aloe hybrids, has made some striking crosses involving ×Mangave ‘Bloodspot’ and Agave titanota. My friend Justin Thiel recently made his own hybrid from ×Mangave ‘Silver Fox’ and Agave parrasana, demonstrating that even hobbyists can do it. And earlier this year I bought several mangaves from unknown breeders at succulent shows.

Another grower who’s gotten in on the game is Steve Super, based on California’s Central Coast. He carries a wide variety of plants in his nursery, not just succulents, and sells them at events in the San Luis Obispo area as well as on his website, SteveSuperGardens.com. Steve recently sent me a beautiful new mangave he calls ‘Black Widow’. I’m excited because it’s a very dark purple and promises to stay on the small side. Take a look!

Who doesn’t love getting plant mail?

There’s nothing quite like opening a box with plants. Usually the first thing you see is the packaging material. This time I got stickers, too!

The excitement is building...

And here it is

×Mangave ‘Black Widow’

What a perfect little jewel

I put it in a pot for now so it can bulk up some more before it goes in the ground

‘Black Widow’ is a cross between ×Mangave ‘Bloodspot’ and Agave nizandensis. The latter is a rarely seen species from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It may seem like an odd choice, but Walters Gardens has also used Agave nizandensis in recent hybrids like ‘Center of Attention’, ‘Shadow Waltz’, ‘Blazing Saddles’, ‘Desert Dawn’, and ‘Frosted Elegance’. Its primary contribution is the central stripe you see in all these crosses even though sometimes it’s quite faint.

Here’s Steve Super’s “official” portrait of ×Mangave ‘Black Widow’:

If you want to get your own ‘Black Widow’, keep an eye on Steve’s website or contact him via email.

© Gerhard Bock, 2023. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.