• apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        38
        ·
        edit-2
        18 days ago

        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 like shown in your photo.

        Spicate are simply spikes with little to no branching. Foxtail agave, Agave attenuata, is a good example shown below:

        Sorry for the TMI dump.

      • human@slrpnk.net
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        10
        ·
        18 days ago

        Yes. They grow that stalk and flower and then die. The plant in the foreground will do the same one day.

        • Multiplexer
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          18 days ago

          Sure they die?
          At least the agave on my windowsill grew one last year but is still totally alive and kicking right now…

          • SillyDude@lemmy.zip
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            9
            ·
            18 days ago

            Some species with flower repeatedly, some are growing for 30 years to build up enough energy to flower once and then they die.

          • Jerb322@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            18 days ago

            I think that they may mean that the flowering stalk dies off, not the whole plant. That’s how aloe do.

            • apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              3
              ·
              edit-2
              17 days ago

              Agaves are broadly monocarpic, meaning that they only flower once and die. Some 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.

    • leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      17 days ago

      There’s no such thing as a tree.

      Or plenty of unrelated stuff is “trees” to the point that any random plant can evolve into one (and probably has, at some point). Same difference.

      Let this thing be a tree if it wants to. It has as much of a right to it as any other so called “tree”.

  • Multiplexer
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    12
    ·
    18 days ago

    l had a small version of this with tiny white blossoms on my windowsill last year, where I cultivate some agaves.

    I was very proud and happy. :-)

      • Multiplexer
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        18 days ago

        Not Tequila, but perhaps Mezcal (wrong type of agave).

        Production volume of my 0.2 sqm agave window would be pretty limited, though… ;-)

  • Rambomst@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    18 days ago

    I’m in Bolivia rn, just saw the same plants, about 50 of them all together in the city of La Paz.