Agave
Americana
The century plant typically lives only 10 to
30 years but specimens living longer than that have been reported. A monocarpic succulent,
it has a spreading rosette (about 4 m (13 ft.)
wide) of gray-green leaves up to 2 m (6.6 ft.) long, each with
a spiny margin and a heavy spike at the
tip that can pierce to the bone.
When it flowers, the spike with a cyme of
big yellow flowers may reach up to 8 m (26 ft.) in height. Its common
name derives from its semelparous nature of flowering only
once at the end of its long life. The plant dies after flowering, but produces
suckers or adventitious shoots from the base, which
continue its growth.
PHOTO FRIDAY
THE CURRENT CHALLENGE
Fri Apr 18, 2014
This week’s challenge:
