Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Shaw's Agave in Flower

 My last post about the Agave was on November 9. Day by day the tip of the inflorescence continued to swell and began to open up a bit. On November 12 we went to Borrego Springs for a few days. When we returned on November 15 the inflorescence had really opened up and I could see the yellow flower buds peeking out a bit. I have to admit I was pretty excited.


After that the inflorescence continued to open up further. Yesterday, November 23, I saw flowers that were actually open for the first time. The inflorescence had assumed its full candelabra shape, and I could see the large anthers protruding out. I observed hummingbirds feeding from the flowers but I couldn't get photos of them. In fact, I had to get on a ladder to get the photos below.



It's not unusual to see an Agave blooming somewhere in the county, but they are typically non-native species such as attenuata or americana. I think my Agave is special because shawii is so seldom seen in gardens and much less often seen blooming. As the bloom continues I'll post again.

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