[4] Growing to 50 cm (20 in) tall, it is an evergreen succulent with rosettes of narrow spiny leaves producing erect racemes, 2 m (7 ft) long, of reddish purple flowers in summer.

[7] As this plant is known to produce pincushion-like offsets, or "pups", as it grows[8]—an unusually polycarpic trait among the Agaves (a highly monocarpic group of plants)—a team of Mexican biologists and botanists proposed the formation of a new genus, Echinoagave, in January 2024.

[9] Similarly to many succulents, A. stricta thrives on air flow, good lighting and well-drained, mostly inert substrates, and may develop root rot if overwatered.

[10] With a minimum preferred temperature of 10 °C (50 °F), this plant requires dry and well-lit conditions, ranging from room-temperature to warm, during winter in temperate regions; in appropriate climates, it may be grown outdoors in full- or part-sun year-round, or during the spring and summer months, provided that excessive precipitation does not flood its roots.

It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.