The Flowering Stalk of the Century Plant

MacCallum, W.

During the past spring an unusually large number of century plants, blossomed in the vicinity of Tucson, and a record was obtained of the rate and amount of growth of the remarkable flower shoot of two of these plants. The individuals selected for observation grew in the botanical garden of the University. One was measured daily at the same hour as nearly as possible to obtain a record of the daily increment, and the other was marked into zones and measured occasionally, to determine the region of most active elongation. The former plant was a rather large specimen with a striking rosette of the characteristic thick, succulent, erect leaves whose tips reached to a height of 8 ft. 5 in. above the ground. As the contents of these leaves were gradually withdrawn to the stalk, there was a marked decrease in volume, and also turgidity, accompanied by a loss of mechanical rigidity, until finally they were quite flaccid and drooped over to the ground.

The Flowering Stalk of the Century Plant

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