A massive century plant is set to flower in a few weeks in front of a Houston home near the Museum District.
What looks like a giant asparagus plant flourishing in the front yard of a Houston home near the Museum District is attracting a lot of local attention. The silver-blue behemoth near the intersection of Woodhead St. and Millford St. in the Ormond Place neighborhood is scientifically known as the Agave americana and appears to be at least two stories tall.
Commonly called the "century plant" due to its lengthy growth and flowering cycle, the spiny-edged succulent is native to Mexico and Texas. While the species is fairly common around the Lone Star State, it's rare for them to reach such a size before flowering.
As first reported by Matt Dougherty of KHOU 11, the stalk sprouting from the plant's center is already 21 feet tall and growing half a foot taller every day. It could stretch to be as high as 30 feet. "They're related to the asparagus that we buy at the grocery store," Houston Botanic Horticulture Director Fran de la Mota told KHOU 11. "If we look at the flowering stem that's coming up, it actually does look like a giant asparagus."
The century plant in the Ormond Place neighborhood is already 21 feet tall and growing half a foot taller each day.
The plants live anywhere between 10 to 30 years and only produce flowers — which can be yellow or white — near the end of their life, De la Mota said. "They bloom just once in their lifetime and then they die after they flower," De la Mota told KHOU 11. However, the plants do leave smaller "pup" plants around their base.
Once the flowers bloom, they're "not very showy," De la Mota said. "The show is really more the size of the flower stalk because it is so gigantic compared to the other plants, right?" he told KHOU 11.
The plant was born near Garner State Park before its owner brought it to Houston, Dougherty reported. The owner believed if it could make it out there, it would be able to survive the Bayou City. The agave was moved from its pot to the front yard five years ago and has survived hurricanes, scorching summers and the February 2021 winter freeze.
Curious passerbys have stopped their cars to take a photo of the spiky agave hiding amongst shadowy trees, according to KHOU 11. Getting close might be a challenge as the leaves of century plants can be incredibly sharp. Time is running out to appreciate the spectacle as the plant only has a few more weeks left to live.
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Ariana Garcia joined Chron in 2021. Previously, she was a community news and breaking news reporter for the Austin American-Statesman. She enjoys binge-watching anime and films makeup tutorials in her spare time.