American agave plants are known for their fairly fatalistic life cycles: After blooming, the plants are expected to die shortly thereafter, usually leaving clones of themselves in the form of seeds.
But a plant at the University of Michigan adds yet another layer of intrigue to the American agave’s story. This agave grew to be 28 feet tall and blew past its 25-year life expectancy by waiting a full 80 years to bloom. Now, it’s dying.
“There’s really no value to leaving it up anymore, because it’s going downhill so quickly,” Mike Palmer, horticulture manager, said. He said the staff plans to chop down the plant next month.
Since 1934, when this particular plant arrived from Mexico, basically nothing unusual happened. But in May, it had a massive growth spurt, adding nearly 6 inches a day. The growth was so significant that workers had to remove a glass pane in the ceiling so it could have more room to bloom.
