A gigantic century plant is blooming in Raleigh. Here’s how you can see it
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, wait, it’s an incredibly tall flower that’s in perfect bloom in West Raleigh.
The century plant (Agave americana) doesn’t take a full century to bloom, but it still takes a pretty long time — and its time is right now.
The flowering plant is in a residential neighborhood on Merwin Road, soaring about 20 feet tall in its peak blossom.
The News & Observer chatted with Mark Weathington (director of JC Raulston Arboretum) and Laura Barth (a horticultural science NC State Extension assistant) to get some more information about this long-awaited bloom.
For more on the century plant, visit plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/agave-americana.
What is a century plant?
Here’s what Weathington and Barth told The N&O:
▪ It doesn’t take 100 years: It does take quite a bit of time to bloom, but it’s not every 100 years. They’ll usually flower after 10 to 15 years, but it can even take up to 25, Weathington said.
▪ One and done: The century plant is monocarpic, which means that it flowers and sets seeds once (if successfully pollinated), then it dies.
“The plant is composed of different rosettes, so the flowering stalk is coming off the main rosette, which is sometimes thought of as the mother plant,” Barth said. “Usually, as that dies back, there are other rosettes that have grown up to take its place. Once that rosette finishes flowering, if there aren’t any other pups to take its place, it’s done.”
▪ The flowering process is drawn out: There isn’t a crunch time to see this plant in bloom, Barth said. Once it blooms, the flowering lasts a few months.
So if you haven’t seen the century plant in bloom yet, there’s lots more time. It’ll probably keep its full-bloom beauty through June.
▪ The stalk will remain stiff: When the plant has finished blooming, the stalk won’t come crashing down, Weathington said. It’ll remain stiff, and as long as there are no other rosettes that will flower, the plant will overall begin to dry out, beginning with the fat succulent leaves at the base. It’ll take a year, sometimes even two, for the stalk to start leaning over.
At this point, the entire plant will need to be removed, Barth said.
▪ Bats love ‘em: But bats aren’t typically drawn to the specific type of century plant that’s in bloom in West Raleigh, Weathington said. This plant will attract moths, bees and other pollinators seen in the area.
▪ And it loves the desert: Century plants thrive in desert environments, though they do well in rain. As long as they have good drainage and aren’t sitting in heavy clay, they’ll shoot up and flower after 15 or so years, Weathington said.
“When the conditions aren’t quite right or it’s life cycle is up, it will direct it’s energy to flowering and reproduction to get its genes in the gene pool before it dies,” Barth said. “But it’ll take place in a fewer amount of years, like 10 versus 25. So it’ll always grow and flower, but it’ll do it all a bit sooner.”
How to see the century plant in Raleigh
You can find the plant on Merwin Road in Raleigh, between Lorimer Road and Liles.
Remember that the plant is on private property, so do not trespass. But the owner has taped information about the plant on his mailbox for those interested.
Raleigh’s century plant photos
Here are some photos of the plant in bloom:
This story was originally published May 31, 2022 at 2:46 PM with the headline "A gigantic century plant is blooming in Raleigh. Here’s how you can see it."
