An 80-year-old American agave plant at the University of Michigan’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens bloomed and began to die after living long past its expectancy.
The 28-foot-tall plant, which waited 80 years to bloom and produce seeds, will be cut down next month, The Associated Press reported.
"There's really no value to leaving it up anymore, because it's going downhill so quickly," Mike Palmer, horticulture manager at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens,
told The Associated Press.
The plant has produced hundreds of seeds, which will be distributed to botanical gardens throughout the U.S., the AP said. The plant’s stalk might be made into a musical instrument.
American agave plants typically live about 25 years and are
expected to die shortly after flowering, The Washington Post reported.
The plant was brought to the Matthaei Botanical Gardens from Mexico in 1934. In May it began to grow rapidly, about 6 inches a day.
"No one knows for sure what combination of environmental conditions induces flowering,” Palmer said, according to the Post. "And it's rare for one to bloom indoors. Of course, being in a conservatory helps!"
The American agave can be used to make alcohol, but tequila is made from a different type of agave plant, the Post said.
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