Variegated A. parryi ssp. parryi are pretty common, I just bought one a couple weeks ago for $5. I can't say I've heard of that particular cultivar though, so maybe it warrants some extra money. I don't think this is one of those mega-rare, big bucks plants though...

I had never heard of this variety, but there are at least three reputable online nursery's selling Agave parryi 'J.C. Raultson', so I guess that's a legitimate clone name created by Plant Delights (see below). No one uses the overly long parryi ssp. parryi var. truncata 'J.C Raulston' name. A variety can be indicated by single quotes, or var. X. So the name you gave is a variety of a variety of a subspecies. Sheeeesh. If the plant you saw is truly variegated, then it is a var. of a var. of a var., and that may increase its value. Or not. :)

Here is what Plant Delight's had to say about it:

We've grown Agave parryi from all along its native range, but the best clone is still the one growing at the JC Raulston Arboretum in NC. We tracked this clone back to a plant that came from J.C.'s 1979 trip to California's Strybing Arboretum. Strybing obtained their plant from California professor Jack Napton in 1971. This special clone forms large symmetrical 2' tall x 3' wide rosettes that seem particularly well-adapted to winters in wet, humid climates. It is slow to offset compared with many forms, which makes propagation more of a challenge. This clone needed a name and we could not think of anything better than to name it after the late Dr. J.C. Raulston

YuccaDo apparently got their clone from Plant Delights:

J.C.'s Legacy! Tony Avent, of Plant Delights Nursery, did his research and found out the following: "We tracked this clone back to a plant that came from J.C.'s 1979 trip to California's Strybing Arboretum. Strybing obtained their plant from California professor Jack Napton in 1971. This special clone forms large symmetrical 2' tall x 3' wide rosettes that seems particularly well-adapted to winters in wet, humid climates. It is slow to offset compared with many forms, which makes propagation more of a challenge. This clone needed a name and we could not think of anything better than to name it after the late Dr. J.C. Raulston." I will add that J.C. did not believe in any soil amending to accommodate better drainage. His belief was that plants should be trialed in unaltered landscape conditions. Thus, this one that survived is a natural candidate for tissue culture because of its shyness in offsetting.

So, I agree with Josiah, it is not particularly valuable, but if you like it, buy it!

Brad

Don't mean to be negative, but couldn't varigation also be a sign of illness or disease?

Variegation usually is inherent in the plant and not a sign of disease or illness.

This might be true for monocots. But I doubt it is true for most variegated cacti.

Jordi

Jordi: Are you saying variegated cacti are infected with some kind of pathogen? Just wasn't sure what you meant by your last sentence.

I meant most variegated cacti are genetically defect usually by not matching hybridization, sometimes by virus, chemicals or other stress.

I have several with this variegation, if you find one with strong variegation and it's under $200.00 do not hesitate to buy it, I know someone who has propagated or hybridized it for that color. Agave partii var. whatever will not hold for the Latin name it has a registered name that is legal in
Gentry's book , we don't name each clone unless it's from a seed and is really different , really different like curled back leaves, there is a form Agave parryi truncated at the Huntington Gardens, and mentioned in Gentry's book as well, I don't know if it is sold elsewhere. I don't want to nit-pick but for the record it is a succulent. Norma

Norma, the Huntington has the original clone of the parryi 'truncata', collected by Gentry in Mexico:

ISI 2004-8. Agave parryi var. truncata Gentry.

This choicest of medium-sized agaves has a glaucous gray, artichoke-like rosette, with elegant bud imprints and contrasting black terminal spinesÂfeatures found to varying degrees in other varieties of A. parryi (and a few other species as well) though not with the same broad-leaved compactness. In addition, the bi-colored inflorescences are unusual among agaves, with orange buds opening yellow (see accompanying photos of a plant flowering in Jean RussomÂs La Canada, CA garden). The plant will offset, but too slowly to satisfy demand, and open-pollinated seedlings rarely share the best features of the parent. Thanks to the tissue culture lab of Rancho Soledad Nursery in Rancho Santa Fe, CA, we are able to offer plants of the genuine variety, supplemented by a few offsets dug here by Kirby Weise. HBG 23389, H. S. Gentry 10566, the clonotype, collected June 8, 1951, in oak-juniper woodland, ca. 22.5 km W of Sombrerete along Hwy. 45 in the Sierra Papanton, Durango (near the Zacatecas border), Mexico.

San Marcos Growers is selling the same clone:

This agave, native from Durango to Zacatecas Mexico, is very attractive in the succulent garden as a large specimen plant or in large pots. It is often noted to be smaller than Agave parryi var. huachucensis , but in our experience this is one of the larger of the Agave parryi varieties. It is quite notable for its stubby, almost flat-topped rosettes that are somewhat reminiscent of an artichoke. Our plants are from tissue culture of the Huntington Botanic Gardens plant (HBG 23389) that was collected by H. S. Gentry in 1951 in Durango near the Zacatecas border in Mexico.

Brad

I thought that is what I just wrote back? Norma
Jeff isn't Agave monocots? They are certainly not a cactus. Norma Jerry Barad came out with a hybrid of two species, that is truly variegated, he sold it at the synposium two weeks ago at auction at $400.00 it is a bauty, one common agave that was monstrose sole for about $200 silent auction about 2 years ago.
These things happen, I have seen plants that had a virus that were blotched but not variegated. A virus does not cause variegation. The disease will kill a plant. Norma

Thanks for all the help everyone!
norma so when you said "if you find one with strong variegation and it's under $200.00" were you referring to Agave parryi truncata like the one I have, or another plant? Also do you have any idea what species of agave Dr. Barad sold?

Thanks!

"These things happen, I have seen plants that had a virus that were blotched but not variegated. A virus does not cause variegation."

I agree with the statement if the plant is striped it would far less likely not be a virus. However in the general horticulture field, varigation is any color variation on a leaf that causes it not to be solid green (generally yellow or white). So to me 'varigation' could be stripes or could be blotches, I wasn't clear from the original description.