Sunday, June 1, 2014

THE MIGHTY CENTURY PLANT - PART TWO

Just about a month ago I told you about the Century Plant and showed you photos of it's beginning and growth.  You can find that post here if you'd like to refresh your memory.  I'll be right here when you come back.

So anyway, the plant begins to put out clusters of blooms.

 

As you can see when you look closer, these are what I would call bloom pods.




These are the antepenultimate stage of this mighty but doomed plant.

Now we move on to the penultimate stage, where the red pods open and the true blossoms burst forth in a blaze of . . . surprise . . . yellow color.











Once the plant has fully bloomed it's bye-bye, baby.  The mighty Century Plant, having put on a fabulous show, will die.  As my friend Phil commented, it reminds him of the salmon in the Pacific Northwest that spawn and then die.

13 comments:

  1. Thanks for that, Bruce. That took how many days? Lori

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  2. This brings up a deep philosophical question. Is time linear or does everything happen at once? Is life one circle of rebirth or is birth, sex, and death random events? Is the life of the Century Plant one big predestined happening or a series of events?

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    1. I just report the facts. I don't explain 'em.

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  3. Tomorrow I'm posting a story about a century plant. If it's okay with you I 'd like to add a link to your post.

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  4. Wow, what gorgeous flowers. I guess you could say it gave it's all.

    S

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  5. Good post and photos of the bloom. We see them out here. They go with a flourish. Succulents and such are amazing.

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  6. Fabulous and marvellous!! But why is it called Century Plant if it dies so young?
    And does the whole tree just shrivel up, dry up? What happens to the roots, can't they be resurrected?
    Now I'll have to look up this plant.

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    1. Legend says it only blooms after one hundred years. But the legend is wrong. As for the rest . . as you said "you'll just have to look it up."

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  7. Super post and great photos.

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  8. oh my goodness- thanks for sharing these magnificent photos- does it have a fragrance and does it attract birds or bees? Thanks to Stephen Hayes referring your blog - I've always wondered about the Century plant!
    We have an Orchid Cactus that came from a start of a Grandmothers plant. It had never bloomed for all the years we've had it until this year- we think it's because we moved to a warmer, sunnier and dryer climate two years ago. You can see it here within this post just scroll down :
    http://katheworsley.blogspot.com/2014/05/once-again-its-six-word-saturday-and.html
    Cheers and thanks again!

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    1. Kathe W., thanks for stopping by. I suspect the plant attracts bees. The blossoms were high enough that I couldn't detect any fragrance.

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