[4] Agave macroacantha produces a medium-sized leaf rosette that can be basal or can grow on a very short stem.

Leaves are succulent, greyish green and up to 1.8 feet long at a maximum, ending in sharp black spines that are up to 1.2 inches long at the tips.

Flowers are small, grey and red, growing in bunches on sturdy stems of up to 3 m (10 feet) in height.

[5] The plant prefers a dry, sunny and hot location for summer and from early autumn onwards a cooler, well-lit space.

[6][2][7] In the UK this plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.