Pix Of A Century Plant

Agave Americana is a common name for the century plant. 

Yesterday, a friend and I drove to the Natchez Cemetery in Natchez, MS, to visit her husband's grave on the military/veteran  side.  As we were approaching the cemetery she told me that this was a century plant on the hill.  I have never heard or seen one and took this picture. 

I found out that it is a species of flowering plant in the family Agavaceae, originally native to Mexico, and the United States in Arizona and Texas.  Today it is cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant. 

Although it is called the century plant, it typically lives only 10 to 30 years.  It has a spread of about 6-10 feet with gray-green leaves of 3-5 feet long, each with a prickly margin and a heavy spike at the tip that can pierce to the bone  Near the end of its life, the plant sends up a tall, branched stalk, laden with yellow blossoms, that may reach height of up 25-30 feet.

The plant dies after flowering, but produces suckers from the base, which continue its growth. 

My Sunday trip to Natchez to be continued...