If you are impatient to see a plant bloom this is not the plant for you. It is called the century plant because it seems that it takes forever to bloom. It only lives from 10 to 30 years and will die after it blooms. There are over 200 species in the Americas. They love the desert best of all. They are related to Yucca and some people confuse them till the Yucca blooms.
The Agave Americana is the most popular century plant in the United States.
The large leaves from a rosette of a large agave grow up to 6 feet in length. The flower stalk of such a large plant will grow 20-40 feet high!
This plant comes from Mexico for the most part.
Several years ago the writer and his wife received a late-night phone call from his mother. She was so excited! Her century plant that we had given her much earlier was blooming. We dressed and drove to her house, saw the bloom and took a picture. We knew that this was our only chance.
Over the centuries parts of this plant and its sap or juices have been used for healing and as medicine, including laxative and diuretic from the sap.
Agave tequilana (blue agave), in the region of tequila, is used to make tequila. Sounds logical.
Bats pollinate the agave. Insects may pollinate just a few species. The agave flowers smell like rotting meat and this attracts bats that will cross pollinate the agave. Don't worry about that bat in your house. It is simply waiting for your Agave to bloom. Bats are patient.
Bats rely on the agave in their migration from the Sonoran Desert in California to Mexico gathering nectar along their migration route. They use agaves as we may use a GPS. Agaves may be more reliable.
The Agave Americana is the most popular century plant in the United States.
The large leaves from a rosette of a large agave grow up to 6 feet in length. The flower stalk of such a large plant will grow 20-40 feet high!
This plant comes from Mexico for the most part.
Several years ago the writer and his wife received a late-night phone call from his mother. She was so excited! Her century plant that we had given her much earlier was blooming. We dressed and drove to her house, saw the bloom and took a picture. We knew that this was our only chance.
Over the centuries parts of this plant and its sap or juices have been used for healing and as medicine, including laxative and diuretic from the sap.
Agave tequilana (blue agave), in the region of tequila, is used to make tequila. Sounds logical.
Bats pollinate the agave. Insects may pollinate just a few species. The agave flowers smell like rotting meat and this attracts bats that will cross pollinate the agave. Don't worry about that bat in your house. It is simply waiting for your Agave to bloom. Bats are patient.
Bats rely on the agave in their migration from the Sonoran Desert in California to Mexico gathering nectar along their migration route. They use agaves as we may use a GPS. Agaves may be more reliable.
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