Amazing Agave Century Plant Blooms With A 3 Story Stalk

Yes, it is true, the amazing Agave century plant blooms with a 3 story stalk, that is 9 meters tall, so and very eye catching. I couldn’t help but notice this agave Americana blooming in Pacifica, California, and it is too stunning not to share with you! As you may know, I am a gardening enthusiast and just love looking at gardens on my travels. When we are back in my hometown area of Northern California, I especially love seeing all the plants that also do well in Northern Israel, where the climate is similar, though colder in the winter. And no matter where in the world you might see an agave in bloom, it is truly stunning with its very tall stalk. I did a bit of research to learn more, so keep on reading!

Century-plant-blooms-in-Pacifica-CA

Gave Americana, commonly known as the century plant, maguey, or American aloe, (though not Aloe) is a flowering plant species belonging to the family Asparagaceae. It is native to Mexico and the United States, specifically Texas. This plant is widely grown worldwide for its ornamental value and has become naturalized in a variety of regions, including Southern California, the West Indies, South America, the Mediterranean Basin, Africa, the Canary Islands, India, China, Thailand, and Australia. The ides of “naturalized” is so interesting as folks often assume a plant is native when infact it is not, despite seen growing in the wild.

The common name “century plant” is due to its nature of flowering only once at the end of its long life. This is called “monocarpic.” After flowering, the plant dies but produces “baby” shoots from the base, allowing continued growth.

While it is called the century plant, it actually lives only 10 to 30 years typically. Century plant can become huge and has a spread of around 1.8–3.0 m (6–10 ft) with gray-green leaves measuring 0.9–1.5 m (3–5 ft) in length, each with a prickly margin and a heavy spike at the tip that can be very sharp.

Best of all, towards the end of its life, the plant produces a tall, branched stalk adorned with yellow blossoms, which can reach a height of 8–9 m (25–30 ft).

Wow what a way to say goodbye, with a stalk that suddently makes everyone notice the plant, so interesting!

Hope you’ve enjoyed this little piece on the century plant, now you’ll have to keep your eyes open for them!