The century plant has one of the coolest names in the plant world! People used to think this amazing plant took 100 years to bloom, which is how it got the name “century” plant. It does not really take that long, but it does wait between 10 and 30 years before it blooms!
The leaves can grow as long as a grown-up person! When the century plant is finally ready to bloom, it grows a giant flower stalk that can shoot up to 30 feet tall. The stalk grows super fast, sometimes as much as a foot in one single day. Beautiful yellow flowers open up all along the stalk.
- Birds, bees, and bats come from all around to sip the sweet nectar inside the flowers.
- After the century plant blooms for the first and only time, it slowly dies.
- But before it goes, it leaves behind baby plants called “pups” that will grow up and bloom one day too!
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