You have to admit the plant looks like it’s from another time (Jurassic or Triassic) or possibly from another planet.
But no, the agave americana is definitely from Earth. Ironically, the plant is known as a century plant, although on average the plant blooms about every 30 years.
In the high elevations of Northern Mexico, which is the plant's usual home, the time span can be longer, but because Raleigh gets more rain than those high altitude locations, this plant bloomed during the more normal time span.
The dramatic blooming of the rare plant has turned its Raleigh neighborhood into a kind of tourist attraction. But here’s the sad part.
The amazing bloom means this agave is at the end of its life cycle.
“It was only two to three inches tall when we brought it home from J.C Raulston Arboretum about 25 years ago,” said Alan Tharp. “And it didn’t change a whole lot for a long time.”
The staff at the arboretum collected the seeds in Northern Mexico’s high country in 1991. The staff hoped because the agave did well in the colder temperatures of the mountains in Mexico, it might survive the colder winters here. The Arboretum gave out 180 similar agave plants.
Tharp says they planted the agave in October, 1992.
“It grew slowly at first and in its native habitat it takes 100 years to bloom which is how it gets in name,” adds Tharp. “But then it really started to grow.”
The succulent leaves at the base tower about five feet high.
More recently, a stalk started to appear from the center. It’s grown about 20 feet in five weeks. Neighbors now gather every night to check out the plant’s progress. The neighborhood is also getting used to visitors driving by to snap photos and chat.
Botanists say near the end of a century plant’s life, that center stalk can reach more than 30 feet high. And because it’s known as a “monocarpic” plant, the century plant flowers only once and then it dies.
The century plant leaves behind seeds to start a new generation. But it will be awhile before that new plant blooms.
The century plant is located on Merwin Road between Liles Road and Lorimer Road in Raleigh. The Tharp family welcomes you to drive by, but please stay on the street or the sidewalk.