The century plant outside my flat grew a monstrous stalk this summer. I have since learned this means its days are numbered - which has painted it in a whole new lightThere is a great big plant outside the flats where I live that looks bewildered to find itself there. In Mexico, yes; west London, not so much. Its leaves look like the tongues of giant lizards, with prickly edges and nasty spikes at the tips. This summer, out of their ferocious midst, a thick stalk emerged suddenly and grew, almost overnight, to an astonishing height. There was a certain exhibitionist arrogance about this new weapon in its armoury. I admired it, but feared it a little, too.Enquiries revealed the plant to be Agave americana. This species is commonly known as the century plant, although typically it lives for between 10 and 30 years. I read with great sadness that it sends up the magnificent, branched stalk only the once, as it comes to the end of its life. Continue reading...
My towering agave plant is in full bloom - but it's a bittersweet bonanza | Adrian Chiles
15. září 2021 18:00
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Zdroj: The Guardian