Need your help on this one. My cousins husband spotted this in a neighbors yard. He said it's like the Century Plants in AZ that he's seen only it's much larger. Any thoughts? The neighbor is away and I couldn't ask. The Century Plant shoots a stalk up, blooms and then dies in a Century.
It looks like an agave plant... From the website: http://http://ag.arizona.edu/pima/gardening/aridplants/Agave_americana.html
Thanks everyone, seems like everyone has been on the right track. Thanks to Rob for the email. Agavi americana, can grow up to 40 feet high with much longer leaves and larger stalk. This American Century Plant is sometimes grown in southern California and south Floridaas an ornamental. I guess the actual life span is about 30 years as opposed to a Century and can bloom and die in as little as 10 years. My education continues!
After gathering info from billions of info sites today. If the flower stem is cut without flowering, a sweet liquid called agua miel ("honey water") gathers in the heart of the plant. This may be fermented to produce the drink called pulque, which may then be distilled to produce mezcal. Agave syrup (also called agave nectar) has recently been marketed as a healthful natural sugar substitute. Tequila is made from a different species, Agave tequilana (also called Blue Agave or Tequila Agave).
A little more info I guessed conservatively on the number used for mezcal, but the point is, it's not just blue agave.
Sorry, I was only talking about tequila.... I forgot about the in your post... if I'm not mistaken, on Tequila can be made from the Blue Agave, and in Jalisco, Mexico.....
From Wikipedia: "Mexican laws state that tequila can be produced only in the state of Jalisco and limited regions in the states of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas" But yes... only blue agave for "tequila".
Interesting. According to wiki, if you cut down that stalk before seeds are produced, the plant might not die. Link
There are a number of Agave Americana species (variegated ones, etc.) available in local nurseries, in addition to the common one you see growing "wild" in Arizona. Most in Arizona are not as lush as the one pictured... I assume because the natural rainfall in AZ is substantially less than Florida. They are quite beautiful when blooming and, at least in AZ, the bloom spike will last many months before it (and the plant) dies. When death occurs, the plant becomes an odorous rotting mess that will attract all sorts of insects and critters. Because of their size, the cleanup can be quite a chore (and potentially dangerous due to the prevalence of sharp spines on each leaf). The plant will most likely start growing some pups (ie, offsets) at the base before it completely dies so there will be a ready supply of replacement plants that can be salvaged during cleanup. If weather conditions are right, I've also seen the seeds sprout in the seed heads, providing additional plants as well. (Some members of the Agave family can be quite invasive because they also spread via rhizomes, but I've never noticed the Century Plant doing that.) If you remove the flower stalk before it matures, the plant might survive... but often the stalk "stump" will begin to rot and the plant may die anyway.
