QuilotoaWeird tree, El Salvador
Thanks. Interesting looking things. Are the bushy structures flowers?
Yes. They grow that stalk and flower and then die. The plant in the forefront will do the same one day.
Sure they die?
At least the agave on my windowsill grew one last year but is still totally alive and kicking right now…
At least the agave on my windowsill grew one last year but is still totally alive and kicking right now…
Jerb322I think that they may mean that the flowering stalk dies off, not the whole plant. That’s how aloe do.
apfelwoiSchoppenAgaves are broadly monocarpic, meaning that they only flower once and die. Some have species do not though, and some individuals do not. Agaves are closely related to and can hybridize with manfredas, which are not monocarpic.
The world of plants is a big beautiful mess.
It is common in that lineage of plants. Fwiw that lineage is named for the asparagus, Asparagaceae, and most of those in that family have similar inflorescences.
Agave is split between between inflorescent traits, arborescent and spicate.
Arborescent is tree like with branching inflorescences. Spicate are simply spikes with little to no branching. Foxtail agave, Agave attenuata, is a good example shown below: