Century Plant
Century Plant (Agave spp.)
Large rosettes of thick blue-green leaves and a tall towering stalk. The agave blooms just once, after many years, before death, though unlike the nickname, most subspecies don’t take one hundred years to bloom. Blooms often contain dozens of pup plants, and are typically seen in late spring.
Ecology: Key nectar for bats and hummingbirds; stabilizes rocky slopes.
Fast Facts
- Key nectar source for long-distance pollinators (nectar-feeding bats such as the lesser long-nosed bat and Mexican long-tongued bat, hummingbirds, some moths) when flowering — supports seasonal migrants.
- After flowering (semelparous “century” bloom) plants produce abundant seeds used by insects and small mammals; dead rosettes provide shelter.
- Roots and rosettes help retain soil on rocky slopes and support specialist pollinators and native bees.
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