CENTURY CENTURY PLANT PLANT

Okay, full disclosure, I’ve been walking around for three years thinking this plant was aloe. Today I learned that it is in fact Agave americana, aka the Century Plant, and is actually more closely related to asparagus than aloe!

It is a monocarpic plant, meaning that at the end of its 20-30 year lifespan it produces a single flower stalk, which can be up to 30 ft tall. So if you see a flowering Century Plant at FSU, it has probably been growing since before you were born!

Also, maybe don’t get too close- the smell of the Century Plant flower has been generously described as “pungent.”