Oh, and some background I forgot to mention the 1st time around: I purchased this plant from a greenhouse over the summer. The brown fuzz at the base is the remains of a fern it was living with! AKA: this plant was kept WAY too wet for its liking, and had a lot of rot going on. I know I shouldn't buy stuff that's unhealthy, and usually don't, but this one just had to go home with me-I'm sure you know the feeling! It's recovering well, but still has a ways to go. The folks over at C&S told me to give it lots more light, which is hard to do in my zone in winter, but I'm going to put it under a grow light to help with that. I am also aware that it is in desperate need of new, lighter soil, which I will give it very soon.

Another closeup photo. I'm not exactly sure what's going on with the pup on the left, but I'll check for rot when I re-pot them. There isn't any above-soil rot.

the last photo

This plant is no more than 5" tall, and the leaves are very rigid, the healthy ones having teeny spines along the edges and the points of new leaves having a single, mean looking, agave-like spine.

It looks more like an Agave to me than a Sans.

Planto

FrugalFanny,
I saw this on the other forum. The first picture I also thought of a Sans. But the other photos shows that it is an agave. The spines along the sides and the darken hard point at the tip. Good to cover all bases.
Stush

Maybe Yucca endlichiana?????????????????????????

Thank you everyone for your feedback. I looked up the Yucca endichiana as well. It does look similar, but the base is different and it lacks the mottling (which could just be a lack of bright-enough lighting). If is begins to show mottling on the leaves now that it's under a grow light, I guess we'll have another clue!

It's not Y. endlichidiana for sure I have one of those, It is not an Gasteria, I don't think an Aloe tho they have leaves like that. You are in zone 4 I noticed. This does not need moss at the soil line, and the soil should be at least 60% pumice 30 coasse washed construction sand, and only 10% organic matter like coarse Orchid bark. Especially in your zone. It is far too moist for Winter growth. These are the problems that I see. Yes it could use just more light and perhaps heat. as far away from the heater as it can get, temps should be at least 55F to 70F consistant temp. I live in Zone 10 and I grow mine like African Plants which most of them are. It is not an Agave of any kind that I can recognize. I noticed your zone 4 before I responsed. I wished you gave us the size of that plant, or perhaps I missed it. Little plants blown up to show a larger size can fool us. Thanks for posting it is interesting. Norma

HI, could be a baby Furcraea? there are several species, the babies born on the inflorescence can looks like that
http://www.huntington.org/BotanicalDiv/ISI2012/isi/2012-18.html

Many San. have red edges. Some have white edges, some have threads peeling off. Far to you to made even an educated guess. Wait until October and show us this same plant again. I have been collecting San this past 35 years, and I do know the difference between all the plants that you and other have mentioned, because I grow them as well. I just gave away most all of my Agave, Manfreda and their cousins, and Aeonium for the most part have been given away. Stuch I am no longer in the other forum, my choice. Norma

I think it's some kind of an Agave. I don't think it's an Aloe or a Sans., the teeth on the leaf edges suggest Agave to me.

I'd remove that moss/fern stuff ASAP, likely just to breed rot, not doing anything for the plant.

Are those roots encircling the pot at the very outer edge of the pot?

It's not so much the mix need to be lighter, it needs to be much faster draining. If you can't find any other mix, re-use that & add 50% perlite to it to make it better draining.

Are there roots coming out of the bottom of the pot?

Hello everyone. Thanks again for all the input! This is fun! Not sure if I did ever tell you the size. The pot is a 4" azalea pot (the squat shape), if that helps. The largest of the plants in the pot is about 4" tall. So possibly still a young plant. Maybe that's part of why it looks unrecognizable to anyone so far. I did repot it in the same pot with new, faster draining mix. I added lots of growstone soil aerator. The old roots were all coiled around inside the pot, and all dead. I took off all of the dead organic matter. The plants each had a tiny amount of live root growth on them, which I was very careful with. The plant is now under a grow light that is on for about 10-12 hours per day, plus by a window that gets minimal natural lighting in my zone this time of year. I have been very careful about watering, hoping I'm keeping it dry enough that the new roots don't rot. Hopefully by next fall I'll have a much healthier plant to re-post photos of so everybody can have another go at the ID.

Thanks again!
FrugalFanny

Could this mystery plant be something along the lines of Agave nizandensis? It does not have the cream colored markings down the center of the leaves though. I guess I just have to be patient and wait for the plant to improve in health.