A small to medium-sized, stemless agave that stands out for its high capacity to "sucker" or offset freely, forming dense, multi-headed colonies over time. Individual rosettes generally stay compact, reaching 20–50 cm (8–20 inches) in height.
The rigid, spear-shaped leaves vary from a striking glaucous blue-gray to light yellowish-green. A key distinguishing feature of Agave cerulata is the presence of narrow rings of dark brown tissue (eyelets) around the bases of its small marginal teeth. Each leaf terminates in a sharp, greyish-to-dark terminal spine up to 6 cm long.
