Chalk Agave

Description:

A solitary rosette of broad whitish green leaves with variable spines, which are 1-2 feet long and 5 inches wide, typically narrower toward the base and widest near the tip. Mature plants may produce a flower head from 3m to 6m tall with yellow flowers.

Habitat:

Near our rental house, on a patch of land, on Saba, a Volcano in the Caribbean Sea. 500m above sea level.

Notes:

Look at the twist of unopened flowers on the flower spike! It looks like asparagus which is no coincidence because Agave titanota is in the Asparagaceae family. The plant blooms between its 10 and 25 year! It takes a few months to go through all its flowers and it attracts loads of bees in the morning. This particular plant also had some flowers spikes at its base. The bloom is also interesting because the plants are monocarpic — they bloom only once and then die. If pollinated, it will set seeds before dying.