The Century Plant. 
a It is nearly stemless, and the large, thick, spiny leaves spring almost 
; directly from the apex of the root. The leaves are sometimes six feet 
in length, and they make the plant an excellent one for hedges, so that 
it is useful as well as ornamental. The root is very small in compari- 
son to the size of the leaves, for thelatter furnish much of the material 
necessary for the growth of the plant. 
In its native country, the Agave often flowers when from ten to 
fifteen years old, and even in England has been known to do so at fifty 
years. As soon as the plant is ready to blossom, the flower stalk 
shoots up very rapidly. An account of a plant blooming in England, 
in 1737, says: ‘“ This plant opened the crown for flowering on June 5th; 
the stem bud appeared on the 15th, and grew five inches a day for 
some weeks; the flower buds were perfected in twelve weeks, and then 
it stood for a month while the buds were forming ; the number of 
flowers was about 1,050.”* Thus we see that an immense amount of 
material is stored up in the leaves, and as this is exhausted very 
rapidly, it is no wonder that when the plant has finished blooming, and 
has perfected its seed, that it is exhausted, and invariably dies. These 
flower stalks often attain a height of from twenty-five to forty feet, and 
bear from 1,000 to 4,000 blossoms. It branches in a candelabrum-like 
form, the blossoms on the lowest branches opening and perfecting 
first, and those above following in turn. 
The flowers are of a greenish yellow color, growing in large bunches 
as big as a half bushel measure. The perianth is six parted. The 
filaments at first are curved over, and the anthers, swung nearly in the 
centre, are bent down and packed in the perianth. As the flower 
matures, the filaments straighten and elevate the anthers, while as soon 
as the pollen is shed, the stigma, which, until then, was almost con- 
cealed in the perianth tube, rapidly elongates and is soon ready to be 
fertilized. Thus, this is one of those plants whose flowers can not be 
~ fertilized by their own pollen, for when the stigma of a particular. blos- 
som is ripe, the pollen of that flower is gone. In this way close inter- 
breeding is prevented, and cross fertilization becomes necessary for 
the perfection of seed. 
The economical uses of the plant aremany. Lindley says the root is 
diuretic and anti-syphilitic; as a cordage it is extremely tough, but the 
leaves have many more uses. When the expressed juice of the leaves is 
evaporated, the residue is said to be usefulas asoap. The whole leaves 
* Treasury of Botany, vol. i., p. 30. 
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