Reach for the sky
Giant flower stalk on Mexican succulent blossoms – after a wait lasting 24 years!
As flower stems go, it’s a whopper. In a suburban garden in south west London, a 7m (23ft) tall, 20cm (8in) thick flower stem has burst into bloom. Generating this vegetable lightning conductor is
Agave salmiana, a giant Mexican succulent that can only be grown outdoors in the warmer parts of the UK. The plant belongs to retired GP and succulent enthusiast Jan Kolendo, who has watched it grow from a pup in 1993 into a 1.8m (6ft) diameter giant, spiny-leafed monster.
The down side is the plant only flowers once in its 15- 25 year life, dying once its creamy-yellow flowers have expired after a few weeks.
“I first saw the flower spike appear last September,” said Jan. “By the end of the month it was six feet tall, but it slowed as temperatures fell.” Thankfully a mild winter meant the plant remained unscathed and resumed growth in March.
Agave salmiana, native to central and Southern Mexico, is said to produce flower stems up to 19m (62ft) high, making it one of the tallest of any known plant. Flowers are pollinated by bats and hummingbirds.