American century plant is a rosette-forming herbaceous perennial succulent in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae). The common name arose because it was once thought it took 100 years for the plant to flower. This plant prefers full sun in well-drained sandy soils but will adapt to other well-drained soils. It can get quite large, up to 10 feet with large spiny leaves so choose your planting site carefully. Propagation can be done with seeds and offsets. Remove lower leaves as needed. It can take 10-25 years to bloom but once it does flower the main plant dies. When it blooms, it sends up a single flowering stalk from the center of the leaves reaching 15-30' tall or more. The flowering stalk resembles a narrow telephone pole with horizontal branching near the top. Greenish-yellow flowers (each to 3-4" long) bloom in panicles at the branch ends. As the plant is flowering, vegetative offsets appear at the base of the plant. The thick large leaves grow in a rosette and add year-round interest. Its striking sculptural form makes it a great specimen or accent plant for a winter or drought-tolerant garden. It can also be used on slopes and in rock gardens. This plant is highly salt. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious insect or disease problems. Agave weevil can be troublesome. Slugs and snails may damage foliage. Root rot may occur, particularly in poorly drained or overly moist soils. VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Houseplants, Succulents, and Cacti", a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Agave .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Available space
6-feet-12 feet
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 6 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in. | Width: 6 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect
Leaf color
Blue; Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Rosulate
Leaf shape
Oblanceolate; Spatulate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Fleshy; Smooth
Leaf value
Long-lasting; Showy
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 3-6 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Rosettes of stemless, long, fleshy leaves, spatulate to oblanceolate in shape. They can reach up to 6 feet long and are blue-green to gray-green.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Panicle
Flower shape
Tubular
Flower size
3-6 inches
Flower detail
When it blooms, it sends up a single flowering stalk from the center of the leaves reaching 15-30' tall or more. The flowering stalk resembles a narrow telephone pole with horizontal branching near the top. Greenish-yellow flowers (each to 3-4" long) bloom in panicles at the branch ends.
Bloom time
Summer
Stem detail
Thick flowering stem can be 15-30 feet tall
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Mexico and Southwestern United States
Distribution
AZ , CA , HI , LA , TX
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Pool/Hardscape; Slope/Bank
Landscape theme
Drought Tolerant Garden; Rock Garden; Winter Garden