Century Plant

Century Plant

Century Plant Agave americana got its name because it was thought that it flowered only once in 100 years. In fact it normally flowers only once in its lifetime at an age of ten to twenty-five years. The plant grows in hot dry areas of North America and it stores water in its thick evergreen leaves which grow as a spiky clump over a metre high. The flowering stalk is extraordinary, reaching a height of ten metres and the large greenish flowers are borne on short branches. [CH] {FW}