My Green Thumbers, What IS this??!
by
Leah Belverd
+61
Hey everyone! It's been a while since I've posted on here. I've been admiring quietly from the back of the classroom ;)
Can anyone tell me what kind of plant this is? I love it and would love to have one in my yard. I thought it was aloe when I first saw it, but I don't think it is. It was at the beach here in NC. Thanks everyone in advance!!
Can anyone tell me what kind of plant this is? I love it and would love to have one in my yard. I thought it was aloe when I first saw it, but I don't think it is. It was at the beach here in NC. Thanks everyone in advance!!
57 answers
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I think it is an Agave Americana. I know that I am not in the States, but they are a huge problem here as they have a very aggressive root system - even coming up through tarmac. I had one on my verge, and although I had two people, who spent two days in an attempt to remove it, it still comes up years later.
Valerie
on Jan 21, 2014
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I believe Valerie is right. These plants can get massive! about 7'+ tall and up to 12' wide. I saw them on a trip to SC and could not believe how massive they were. They bloom when the plant is at least 8-10 years old. If you do use this plant, I would carefully choose where you plant it because it will get huge and spread. You could always put in a pot in the ground to contain the roots. They are interesting for a beach/desert garden but I would definitely take precautions before planting them. Good luck and happy planting.
The Garden Frog with C Renee
on Jan 21, 2014
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Valerie is exactly right that this is an Agave americana. I have not heard of them being a problem here the way they apparently are in South Africa, but one does need to be careful in siting them because they can get very large--a leaf can be 6 feet long--and the fact that there is a needle-sharp spine at the end of each leaf. They'll take temperatures into the low 20s, which would be about zone 8b.
Douglas Hunt
on Jan 21, 2014
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we call it a century plant...
Jay Smith
on Jan 21, 2014
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We call them a century plant too here in Tx.
Laura Carr
on Jan 21, 2014
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Century plant here in Atlanta, too.
Helen Garrett
on Jan 21, 2014
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I believe in Arizona, we also call those century plants. They get these long stalks that grow out of them that bloom, supposedly, only once a century!
Envy Lawn
on Jan 21, 2014
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Well I came late to the party, but the agave is a beautifulplant not a cactus. In the state of Jalisco, Mexico you can see farms of agavesall in beautiful organized rows. The agave is pollinated by our friends thehumming birds and the bats. The Agave root or pina is the source of tequila. Ihate to sound like Ewell Gibbons here but, “They are edible”. The flowers areboiled or roasted and served in scrambled eggs like the purslane plant is. Thestalks are roasted before they form the summer flowers. The leaves are alsoused and sold in markets boiled down and used for juice and soups and beatenfor soap. They dig pits and roast the whole plant. The liquid can be caustic andit is boiled down for hours. You have to be careful; there are many varietiesof Agave and they will vary in edible quality. All parts of the plant were onceused weapons or household uses from nails to needles and weaving of the fibers.I don’t know everything about this plant but I find it so interesting that Igrow it in huge planters outside year round and trim the outer leaves the waythey do in Mexico. Beautiful. You can find these plants in nurseries in all thelower states including Florida. Email me and I will send you a babyfrancocarma@yahoo.com
Fra42152
on Jan 21, 2014
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I forgot to also say that the Agave sweeteners from this plant are not all the same either. Sorry about the spacing.
Fra42152
on Jan 21, 2014
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We call them 'Agave' plants out here in Southern Califonia...they can grown very large and beautiful!
Denise A. Maloney
on Jan 21, 2014
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I was going to say aloe vera plant.
Dianne Kurtz
on Jan 21, 2014
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Its an Agave..also called a century plant.
Terra Gazelle
on Jan 21, 2014
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Aloe( Agave) is right !
Helmut H.
on Jan 21, 2014
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Yes it is Agave aka Century plant, they are very expensive really, I have several in my yard and in pots
Suzanne Eckles-Tassano
on Jan 21, 2014
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Agave is correct, I think they are related to the century plant, but are different. The century plant only blooms once every 100 yrs. But the Agave will bloom every year once it reaches a certain age and they are faster growing than the century plant.
Patty
on Jan 21, 2014
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They are very prolific. They have lots of babies and they are so easy to transplant. Little to no care.
Marsha Householder
on Jan 21, 2014
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Not expensive at all. $15-$20 online for a 3/4 inch pot
Valery
on Jan 21, 2014
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Not 3/4, but 3" to 4" pot. Sorry
Valery
on Jan 21, 2014
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that is a century plant
Roxann Lukima Harrod
on Jan 22, 2014
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Agave is known as a the Centry plant because it blooms once after 100 years then dies. It is often mistaken for an Aloe plant but they are different plants all together. Aloe plants will " ooze" a transparent gel when broken. the do not bloom and don't have barbs at the tip of the leaf like an Agave does. Aloes don't get as big either. http://whatsthedifference.net ... I thought it looked like a Yucca plant to me which they can be very aggressive, get huge and will bloom once a year but there are many different kinds of Yucca's. too.
Mame
on Jan 22, 2014
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Sorry for the wrong link in my last post. This one should be the right one. www.differencebetween.net
Mame
on Jan 22, 2014
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In New Mexico they are called a century plant. Depending on how long you have had it , it will put on a long pole like spike and it will bloom a yellow flower on top of spike. And then it will die. it will have baby plant around the root area which is very sallow. you can transplant the babies and start all over again. Jokingly most people around here call them bloom and die.
Charlotte Hall
on Jan 22, 2014
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Be careful...the sap from this plant can blister your skin. http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/c/century_plant_poisoning/intro.htm
Annette DiMattio
on Jan 22, 2014
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it´s a Maguey that´s what we call it here in Mexico, there are tons of species all sizes, shapes and colors. https://www.google.com/search?q=maguey&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=fvLfUvT0I8mb2wXM3YGIDg&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1089&bih=711 Tequila comes from the blue kind, and others produce many byproducts. From Pulque, to fibers to make into fabric. Also houses in some areas the Maguey Worm a delicacy here.
Roberto De Uslar Alexander
on Jan 22, 2014
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Not all agave are century plants. There are many varieties and a century agave is just one. For additional information check out http://tinyurl.com/pdcgdxt
Frankie Laney
on Jan 22, 2014
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The warning about this plant blistering the skin is a good one. We had an agave in our yard and it was near the gate to our barn so my husband removed it. However, in the process he got that sap all over his arms and was blistered and sick for weeks afterward.
Bonny McDaniel
on Jan 22, 2014
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Century plant blooms in 10 yrs for just a little while
Maggie F
on Jan 22, 2014
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Mine I call a Yucca and it blooms every year. When we built the house the grader for the land took it out I thought and I was upset but the next year it started growing again and with in a year was almost its original size and has had the typical flower stalk every year since.
Betty Ganung
on Jan 22, 2014
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Looks like the Aloe Plant or the Agave Plant, these are related to cactus family you know the Agave Plant is used to make "Tequila" very common here in the SW in fact there are several large flowering plants growing along roadside in my neighborhood.
Marz Bo
on Jan 22, 2014
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I have one in my yard and several people have gotten poked by it. I usually cut off some of the sharp thorns and worry that a child could get a serious wound from it. Everyone calls it a Spanish dagger. Do not get one.
Jim
on Jan 22, 2014
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A Yucca, possibly a hybred yucca.
Jackie M
on Jan 22, 2014
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a yucca plant
Loretta Tyler
on Jan 22, 2014
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Looks to be an agave
Linda
on Jan 22, 2014
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I think a yucca. My mother in law had one in her front yard and absolutely hated it. I am not sure why, but it was hard to remove.
Debbie Sopher
on Jan 22, 2014
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Agave parryi? Not sure which ones grow beyond zone 5
Mary Swanson
on Jan 23, 2014
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agave
Patricia Gill
on Jan 23, 2014
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@Leah Belverd This is an Agave or "Century Plant" I have several in my yard ~ bought one at Walmart but I live in Texas! That one had several "babies" breaking thru the pot when I got it home. I keep them in tubs
Betty Guidry
on Jan 23, 2014
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Century plant that has a beautiful flower when it blooms usually white or cream color. Had a part of a backyard full of them. They require little moisture and looks pretty in a desert garden. I have seen many of these in bloom at one time against the beautiful NM sky and it is quiet beautiful.
Mary Hill
on Jan 23, 2014
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agave
Rocky Mountain WaterScape
on Jan 23, 2014
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It's a century plant. Not a yucca.
Milly
on Jan 23, 2014
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It is an agave plant, yes it is used to make tequila. It is wise to cut the bottom leaves and tips. It will grow up to 5-6'. We decided to pull ours out, roots and all it was too invasive.
DARLENE D
on Jan 23, 2014
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Yes, it's an Agave, and it also spreads! It will grow to be huge, even without watering it and the spikes are treacherous!
Annie Clarke
on Jan 23, 2014
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We have a lot of these types of plants in Arizona. It probably stands out as a bit unusual in North Carolina!
The Residences At The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain
on Jan 23, 2014
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Century Plant (Agave Americana) http://www.naturesongs.com/vvplants/centuryplant1.jpg
Judy
on Jan 23, 2014
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looks like a century plant. After it blooms, it dies. Usually blooms after it is 20-30 years old. Bloom has obnoxious odor.
Susan Lewis
on Jan 23, 2014
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It is an agave plant, it is used to make tequila they are so many where i born in Jalisco, MEXICO..
Maria C
on Jan 23, 2014
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https://www.google.com/search?q=campos+de+agave+tequila+jalisco&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=W8ThUufRKqbQ2wW05oHABw&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg&biw=1920&bih=918
Maria C
on Jan 23, 2014
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I'm with several others that this is an Agave. Sometimes called Century Plant. I have a similar one in my basement with new plants coming off the sides that I will have to do something with come spring. It has extremely wicked spines and I'm not sure just how I'm going to repot it without getting stuck. Treat it like a cactus.
Linda Geier
on Jan 23, 2014
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I agree it is a type of Agave. They can grow really big and I think they put up a long spike when they flower. If it sets 'pups' remove them and replant them as otherwise it can kill the parent plant to leave them attached for too long. Well drained soil is the way to go for these plants.
Carole
on Jan 23, 2014
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You make tequila with it! Cut the "leaves" off and bake the "bulb" (which looks like a pineapple) in a oven for a long time. Tastes great cooked or you can press it and make your own brew!
Lyn Ennis
on Jan 24, 2014
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Century plant or Agave americana, either one is correct. Tequila is made from the blue agave plant and only grows in Mexico.
Linda
on Jan 24, 2014
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Century plant. I had one growing for years and I mean about 20 years. One day it bloomed and shot a beautiful spike of wood with blooms all over it into the sky about 20 feet. We had to stake the spike and people would stop and look at it from the street. The bloom lasted about a month or more. Than it shot out about 2 or 3 babies vertically and about year later the mother plant did the same. After that spike died the entire plant died. Not sure what all of that meant but we have pictures of the bloom and still go back and admire the beautiful work of God. awww...just read all the comments and the baby plants will kill the mother one if not seperated. Wish I had known that then...but still it was a work of God and we were blessed to have had it when we did.
Cindy Carr
on Jan 25, 2014
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Douglas Hunt is knowing what he is talking about. I lived (A loved) the Trans Pecos Region of the Northern Chihuahua Desert , an area where these Century Plants (Agave) are EVERYWHERE. They can easily become invasive. After the mother plant blooms & dies, there are left behind "many" pups. Unless you want a jungle of Agave, get rid of them! The tips of leaves are extremely sharp & should be clipped. They will, also, emit a "poison" substance that burns like the devil. The blooms are treasured by Hummingbirds, who feast on the flowers. The one in my yard grew to 25' before blooming, the flower spike grew even taller! And that was completely without water! Enjoy the blooms & the Hummers, then say good-by to your Agave.
Nancy J Goldwire
on Jan 26, 2014
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Google the Agave plant. You will see the plantations in Mexico where a lot of agaves are planted....
DARLENE D
on Jan 27, 2014
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Agave. It's some kind of cactus. My aunt has one that is almost as big as her house. No kidding. It's amazing. I'm not sure how she got it so big but I know it's very old and it has babies. I never tried to grow one but they are striking!
Stephanie Wilson
on Mar 29, 2014
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Looks like a yucca to me Wabasha, Mn.
Evonne Kruger
on Mar 29, 2014
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Definitely a Century Plant (Agave). I have several throughout my yard in NC. I like them, a great conversation piece.
Marianne
on Jun 23, 2014
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