ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - Visitors to the University of Michigan’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens may soon get to glimpse the flowering of an 80-year-old agave plant.
The plant was brought to the University of Michigan in 1934 after an expedition to Mexico, where it was collected, The Ann Arbor News reported (https://bit.ly/1ja6xnq ). It didn’t previously show any sign of flowering, but now its flower stalk is growing several inches per day.
Michael Palmer, horticulture manager for the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum, said the stalk is getting closer to the conservatory’s roof. If it grows much more officials might need to remove a pane of glass from the roof to make room.
“It’s about five feet from the glass, from the roof of the conservatory,” Palmer said. “We’re going into the warm season so the timing is perfect.”
Commonly known as the century plant, the Agave americana usually lives a few decades. It blooms once and then dies. The plant has been a part of the university’s collection since 1934, and the conservatory has been its home since the 1960s.
“We’re really excited about it,” Palmer said. “Many people have watched this plant over the years, and one of the women who works here will bring her kids every year and take a picture with it.”
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Online:
https://www.lsa.umich.edu/mbg
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Information from: The Ann Arbor News, https://www.mlive.com/ann-arbor
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