Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine September 2016

LOOK OUT FOR…
The Century Plant:
COMPENSATE MUCH?
by Lynn Kaak
As you travel through the Caribbean, every month there’s something special to look out for.
You can see them from a distance, a towering stalk on the rocky horizon with yellow flowers at the top. This stalk can grow up to
about six metres (20 feet) high. These showy sentinels are century plants, agave with attitude. However, that formidable stalk comes
at a price for these plants.
Agave (from Greek, meaning “noble”) is a succulent dry-area plant. There are about 300 different types, including the famous Blue
Agave of tequila fame, but one is indigenous to the Eastern Caribbean. Strangely, although it has many synonyms in its scientific
name (Agave trankeera, A. van-grolae, A. scheuermaniana, A. salmdyckii, A. obducta, A. nevidis, A. karatto Miller), it seems to be
pretty well known by its common name Century Plant, with Dagger Log and Batta Log occasionally used around Antigua. West Indian
Dagger is a less common name.
It seems to be a taxonomically taxing plant. For most of its life, the Century Plant is not particularly showy. It has thick spiky leaves,
with sharp points and sometimes little serrations along the edges, which can grow to a length of one metre (three feet). The outer
layer of the leaf is waxy, with a greenish, bluish, greyish colouring, with the green sometimes being more predominant. The leaves
grow in what is referred to as a rosette pattern, all coming out
from a central point and sticking out in a way that would deter
potential grazers, if the threat of getting impaled wasn’t enough.
These rosettes can be over three metres (ten feet) in diameter.
The sap from this plant can also cause severe rashes, which will
make one want to know whether they are dealing with an aloe or
an agave; some of the species can
look quite similar. Oddly enough,
agaves were once classified in the lily
family (and aloes still are).
However, after ten to 20 years (and
not the 100 years implied by their name), the Century Plant decides it is time to strut its stuff. As a
monocarp — a plant that flowers and produces seeds once, then dies — it then seems to overcompensate
for its time of growing and gets showy. A stalk, which looks very much like asparagus on steroids (they
are related), shoots up to that six-metre height. A crown of yellow flowers, with both male and female
parts, blossoms, and this low-key agave becomes one of the more noticeable plants around. As they are
normally situated in dry areas, there isn’t usually much competition in the height department. This
impressive protuberance remains upright until bulb-like growths appear, which are the “seeds” of the
plant. After this activity, the whole plant will die, allowing the bulbils to fall and, hopefully, take root.
These sun-loving plants are well adapted to surviving in the drier areas of the Eastern Caribbean, and
are often found around Antigua, St. Lucia’s north area, and Grenada’s “sunny south”. The Century Plant
is the national flower of Antigua & Barbuda, and they are quite prolific in the Shirley Heights area. These
particular agaves are not particularly fond of cold temperatures, but can tolerate temperatures as low as
10°C, while preferring tropical heat for their existence. Century Plants also prefer dry, well-drained soil.
For landscapers, they are an easy plant, as once they get started, they are best left to their own devices.
In years gone by, the stalks of the plants were used to make fishing boats that could be used in protected
waters. The white pulp was used for fish bait. Now, the Century Plant remains a statuesque sentinel
on some of the parched landscapes of the Eastern Caribbean.
WORLDOFSUCCULENTS.COM
Left: Yellow blooms stand out against a blue sky
Right: The stalk looks like giant asparagus
Below right: The leaves, set in a rosette,
are tough and sharp-pointed
SEPTEMBER 2016 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 37
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