Utah Agave, the “agave utahensis” or The Century Plant

There is no real common name for this plant, but has been called the Kaibab century plant, in reference to the (incorrect) belief that it flowered after a hundred years. Agave is from the Greek word meaning noble, from the imposing stature, and utahensis means of or from Utah. Its flower stalk, shown here, can grow at a rate of over a foot a day.

blooming only once…… then dies, sad but true. Well at the very least the plants entire life is spent on standing tall, in the Grand Canyon…

This species grows eight to ten years, blooms only once, then dies. Its yellow blossoms appear in May or June, but the tall stalk can remain standing long afterwards. Hooked spines on the edges of the leaves distinguish the agave from the similar looking yucca. Normally, you’ll see these beautiful plants standing tall amongst other century plants, both alive and dead.

photo credit: John Gussman/jgussman@deproduction.com / text: scienceviews.com/parks/grandcanyonplants.