Many species of agaves (ah-GAH-vees) or “century plants” attract
attention on desert hillsides when they send up their tall blossom
stalks in June and July. The thick, fleshy, sharp-tipped leaves form a
basal rosette. Some of the larger species may require 10 to 20 years to
store enough plant food to produce the sturdy, fast-growing flower
stalk. After blossoming, the exhausted plant dies. _Agave scabra_, one
of the spectacular forms, is limited in its range to the Chisos
Mountains of Big Bend National Park, Texas.
_Agave scabra_ Amaryllis Family
[Illustration: AGAVE]