UK: Monster plant grows 5ft in a weekend and bursts through greenhouse roof

[tbyg52]

Not earth-shattering news, just a funny mental picture.... ;)

A rare Mexican plant which flowers only once in its lifetime has bloomed in Britain.

Scientists at Bangor University have waited 28 years to see the Century Plant (Agave americana) blossom.

Nobody was more shocked to see the 20ft specimen in full bloom than curator Nigel Brown, who planted the seed when he was a young student in 1979.

The rare plant grew so quickly over a single weekend that it went straight through the roof of the greenhouse

Mr Brown said: "We planted it to see if it could survive the British weather and pretty much forgot about it for a long time, just tending to it occasionally.

More:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=481216&in_page_id=1770

[alfredo]

1. It is a beautiful plant too image below

[tbyg52]

3. I thought that might be what it was

a neighbor had one do that shooting up trick a few months ago. It was quite startling.

[alfredo]

15. Succulents do grow in spurts, but this is in a class of its own.

[Warpy]

22. Right, neighbors here had one

that bloomed about 10 years ago. It was truly spectacular.

Getting those things put in costs hundreds of dollars. Even small specimens have roots that go halfway to China.

[alfredo]

26. It works hard to survive.

[derby378]

2. Hellooooo, Audrey 3!

"I'm just a mean green mutha from outer space, and I'm baaad!"

[Beetwasher]

4. "Feed Me!"

[silvershadow]

30. HA HA...one of my favorites! n/t

[The_Casual_Observer]

5. Yet, for years they just sit there & do nothing.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

6. except make great tokillya

so long as limes, salt and a glass are nearby.

[Igel]

19. Pulque and mezcal. n/t

[Liberal_in_LA]

13. ..then BAM! They grow like crazy.

[UTUSN]

7. Them Mexicans just won't stay inside the borders allotted to them!!1 n/t

[LeftCoast]

8. We've got 4 or 5 of those blooming in my neighborhood

I had no idea they were rare.

:shrug:

[Liberal Veteran]

11. They are probably rare in the UK.

But the SW United States and Mexico is lousy with them.

[Liberal_in_LA]

12. Have one in backyard of childhood home. Bloomed suddenly after 50 years... shot up yards suddenly

[troubleinwinter]

29. No kidding.

I'm in the Arizona mountains a mile high and they are all over. Never know when one might get happy. My dad had one "go off" in his yard this summer. It was shocking that one day it's nothing and in a coupla days there's a 15 footer.

I did not know it was going to die after. I have been asking dad when he will cut down the spent stalk, and he is letting it "rest" first. I guess I'll have to tell him the bad news.

[banana republican]

9. through the roof indeed....

[ljm2002]

24. That is so cool!

I've seen plenty of them -- but obviously you need to give them a little head room!

Reminds me of a house I was looking at a few years ago, considering buying it. It didn't work out -- but one of its attractive features was a very tall saguaro cactus at the front of the house; it had grown so tall that it hit the eaves, so the owner did the right thing: he made a large neat notch in the eave and finished it, allowing the saguaro to continue growing. By the time I saw it, it was 3 feet past the eave overhang. Bravo!

[Richard D]

10. hiccup

I love distilled agave juice!

[BlooInBloo]

14. Whoa. Hardcore.

[bpeale]

16. no biggie

we see this plant bloom here in the desert every year...not the same plant of course, but they are all over out here. trust me. this is not a big deal.

[SlowDownFast]

17. Yup.

I read the post and said to myself, "Rare? Those plants are all over the American SW desert."

[tbyg52]

18. Apparently the people who had it in the greenhouse did not know its habits too well

I'm still giggling over my mental picture.

[Igel]

20. And now they get to find something to replace the agave.

I'd suggest an Agave murpheyi. They're a lot less common, and no seeds. Bulbines. Then you have a replacement for the one that's dying, and plenty to share with friends.

(And, yes: Since they have no seeds, they're effectively all clones of the first plant that mutated to produce the species.)

[Ezlivin]

21. If you can't smoke it...

...what's the point in growing it so damned big?

:)

[loudsue]

27. I dunno.....you try it first,

and let the rest of us know. I understand that almost all plants have some kind of medicine.

:applause:

[Ezlivin]

31. I never live on the cutting or bleeding or, hell, leading edge

I did when I was younger and ended up in a wheelchair. Now I wait for others to go first.

After you....

:)

[TheCowsCameHome]

23. "If an erection lasts over four hours..........."

[KG]

25. same thing happened to me last night. Viva Viagra!

:headbang:

[ThomWV]

28. Back when I was in college the Ag school grew one and I saw it in bloom

The thing I remember most about it was how bad the dam thing smelled.