A century plant has shot up a rare bloom spike in the yard of a Webster County couple’s home.
The plant is in full bloom outside the home of Phillip and Betty Jo Medders on Ellison Road in the Clarkson community. It is 28 years old and the flower stalk is 20-25 feet tall, according to Betty Jo Medders.
The century plant, Agave americana, is monocarpic, meaning it will bloom once in its lifetime. That bloom may not appear for 10, 20 or more years, depending on the climate. Many species in the genus Agave flower just once, although a few are repeat bloomers.
The name “century plant” comes from the fact that the slow-growing plant takes years — although not 100 — to flower.
The upward-facing yellow flowers grow in clusters at the end of horizontal branches near the top of a tall stalk that emerges from a thick basal rosette of gray-green leaves. The flower structure resembles a candelabrum and sits atop a flower stalk that may be 10 or even 25 feet tall.
After blooming, the century plant dies back, but offsets around its base usually leave gardeners with a supply of plants.
Century plants do best in an area that receives at least a half-day of sun and in well-draining soil. They can become enormous — 6 to 8 or more feet tall with a rosette of 20 to 40 leaves that can be a dozen feet across. The succulent foliage stores water, and the waxy coating helps prevent water loss. The huge leaves, nearly a foot wide, are smooth and rigid, and have sharp teeth along the margins.
