Agave Guiengola plant on Chicago's West Side growing beyond what's expected
CHICAGO - Crowds are gathering at the Garfield Park Conservatory to see the star of the desert area.
"It is a bit of a celebrity. I mean, she deserves it. She's beautiful," said floriculturist Ray Jorgensen.
Frilly yellow flowers, sculpted leaves and just dripping in sweetness: the plant getting all the attention is an Agave Guiengola – thought to be about 35 to 40-years-old.
In December, it reached sexual maturity and really started to blossom, sending up a flower spike that just won't quit.
"It is like a Jackrabbit. It takes off fast and then keeps going too," said Jorgensen, who helps care for the plant.
Jorgensen says trusted literature told him the agave would grow to four or six feet, but this plant stunned everyone. By Monday, it was 20 feet and seven inches tall.
Some call this the agave "death bloom" because the plant will die after it flowers.
"I don't think we need to add any extra drama, and it's already a dramatic enough," said Jorgensen, who doesn't love that term.
Part of the drama for visitors is that the ceiling is getting kind of close.
"Wondering if it's going to get all the way to the roof," said visitor Katy Schafer.
The agave is expected to flower at least another month. Jorgenson thinks it will stop shy of the roof. But some may be cheering for this girl boss of a plant to break that glass ceiling.