Alpha Omega

This is how a Century Plant looks at maturity, its flower stalk poking 18 to 25 feet into the air. Despite its name, the Century Plant actually matures at about age twenty; it uses so much energy forcing its stalk high into the sky and blossoming that it dies after its one-time showy display.

These are what the flowers of the plant look like close-up; they are huge, dinner-plate-size blooms that attract both birds and bees.

This is what the remains of the once-vibrant plant look like after it has been battered and knocked over by the persistent desert wind.