Century plants, blooming

Here are some pictures of Century Plants in bloom just up the hill from our house. Known as Parry's Century Plant it is a variety of Agave and it is found from Central Arizona to West Texas and also in Northern Mexico. Mescal, Pulque and tequila are made from Mexican species. Century plants require many years to flower but not usually a century. The blooms are atop a single very heavy, very tall stalk. The variety we have here blooms only once and then the plant dies. This is the first time we have been able to get pictures. Several seem to be blooming this year, possibly due to the gnomes rain dance. Thank you Frank.

This picture I took from a distance. Dooley is standing by the base of the plant. You can see how tall the bloom is.

This is the base of the plant with a single stalk coming out of the center.

This is a view of the actual blooms.

The blooms on another plant. They look tired already.
Desert Rat

 

Those are amazing plants!! Thanks for posting DR !!

 

that is why I love the desert. Where else can you have a tarantula in your house and see flowers bloom for the one time in their life, all in the same week? How cool is that?
DR

 

That is why I love the desert. Where else can you have a tarantula in the house and see a flower bloom for the one time in it's 100 year life, all in the same week? How cool is that?
DR

 

I see my last post got on twice for some reason? I don't know the average life span befor it blooms. I think it must be linked to climate conditions.
DR

 

WOW...

 

Thanks for the pics DR, that is something I will probably never see in real life. Very awesome. I thought the plant was going to be a lot larger considering the size of the stalk.

 

Frank, the average century plant blooms and dies at about 25 years. Dooley

 

That plant is what almost put me in the hospital . Not very long ago .I still have mine and its growing .I was told it was a Mescale .I didn't know it was the same as a Century Plant I have seen Century Plants bloom around here.

 

They do grow in Texas. I am 5ft5in. You can see how tall it is because I am standing about two feet from it. It is more that twice as tall as I am. Dooley

 

Wow- and that blue, blue sky.

 

Oh, interesting! They're so tall, while it's a shame they are so rare and a one-time shot, it's wonderful that all that effort produces such a fabulous stalk. What pollinizes them, that it goes so high? Desert Giraffes?