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BajaTed
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Location: Bajamar
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Century Cactus and El Nino
The giant flower stalks on the Century Cactus in North Baja are starting to sprout 3 and 4 flower stalks @ once , never seen that before. I think the cactus know El Nino is coming to Baja
BTW, the most spectacular sunset on Sat. I was waiting for my green flash and got a light show that reminded me of the 70's
Es Todo Bueno
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durrelllrobert
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Location: Punta Banda BC
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Last year I had two blooming at the same time here in Punta Banda.They reached more than 12 feet before the plants died. This year I have anothere
starting to grow at a rate of 6 to 8 inches a day.
Bob Durrell
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David K
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Bob, I hope you don't mind, but the hurts my neck! LOL
Click on your photo on Photobucket, and then click on Edit to orient the photo and snaz it up too...
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BajaRat
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Quote: Originally posted by BajaTed  | The giant flower stalks on the Century Cactus in North Baja are starting to sprout 3 and 4 flower stalks @ once, never seen that before. I think the cactus know El Nino is coming to Baja
BTW, the most spectacular sunset on Sat. I was waiting for my green flash and got a light show that reminded me of the 70's |
Probably just Fucushima fall out to blame 
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bajabuddha
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They are incredibly beautiful cact OOPS !!! I mean AGAVE, for the botanically sensitive..) , but man, what a pain they can be... we have tons (literally) in this area for landscaping, and when they do finally
bloom it's the end of the line for the plant. Those trunks are very dense, wet and heavy, and are designed by nature to fall over to spread their
offspring around; but when they do fall, fences or anything in their way is subject to a rude awakening. The carcass of the plant and its' stalk are
huge and difficult to discard; I'm talking chainsaw here. I had a neighbor who, to save our mutual fence, tied a rope to the stalk of his and pulled
it over with his pick-em-up truck; he learned the hard way to use a longer line next time; put quite a dent in the roof of his pride and joy.
Love to see 'em....... in other people's yards. 
[Edited on 10-14-2015 by bajabuddha]
I don't have a BUCKET LIST, but I do have a F***- IT LIST a mile long!
86 - 45*
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wessongroup
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"6 to 8 inches a day."
Not bad
Brings meaning to "watching it grow" 
Plants are an interesting bunch ... since they can't move for necessities ... the ocean is an exception
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BornFisher
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It`s not a "cacti". It`s an agave!!!!
"When you catch a fish, you open the door of happiness."
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BajaBlanca
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with the blue sky background -truly spectacular photo!
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dtbushpilot
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Great photo, they look like giant asparagus before they bloom...
"Life is tough".....It's even tougher if you're stupid.....
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bajabuddha
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After researching my mistake, I noticed they are actually semi-related to the asparagus family; sorta like us to Lucy....
I doubt the stalk would go well with my mayonnaise/ginger/curry dip though.... 
I don't have a BUCKET LIST, but I do have a F***- IT LIST a mile long!
86 - 45*
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BornFisher
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| Quote: Originally posted by bajabuddha | After researching my mistake, I noticed they are actually semi-related to the asparagus family; sorta like us to Lucy....
I doubt the stalk would go well with my mayonnaise/ginger/curry dip though.... |
Well the agave root has been a food staple for centuries with the Baja natives. They dug pits to roast the roots and probably would have enjoyed your
dip along with their recipes. Heck we should try it someday!!
"When you catch a fish, you open the door of happiness."
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Whale-ista
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Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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Great photos. I love spotting these on my travels.
Yes, they are a traditional food for humans and wildlife. And this is a good overview of difference btwn cacti and agaves.
"Agave. There are at least ten species of the genus agave (pronounced ah GAH vee) in Southwest United States. Agaves are a large group of
rosette-forming succulent plants. They are usually short-stemmed, although some species can form stems up to 3 feet high. Agaves are mostly native of
Mexico, though some are found wild in the United States and the West Indies.
Agaves were one of the most important plant groups for Indian tribes, second only to yuccas. They were a major source for both food and fiber. Agave
fibers were used to make many needed items such as brushes, bowstrings, nets, slings, shoes, rope, and thread. Leaves were first soaked, then pounded
to release their fibers. The fibers were next dried and then combed to separate the threads. Almost all parts of the agave, leaves, flower, stalk,
blossoms, and seeds, can be eaten. Agave leaves were collected and roasted in pits. But uncooked, the leaves of some agave species are poison. Indians
of the Chihuahuan Desert used the juice from the lechuigilla (Agave lechugilla) to poison their arrow tips.
The century plant, also called desert agave, spends most of its life as a rosette, a cluster of basal leaves. Characteristic of other agaves, its
flowering is delayed. But in this case, it could be as long as thirty years - - but not even close to its erroneously labeled century. When it does
flower, the stalk erupts from the center of the rosette and grows at an astonishing rate, two and one-half inches each day, until it reaches five to
fifteen feet in height. The plant then blooms for several weeks and then dies. The plant's death is largely due to expending its supply of water and
plant food resources to grow the flower stalk. Therefore it has to die, but not before its flowers have been pollinated and up to 65,000 seeds have
been propagated.
The century plant is an enormous food and water source for desert life. During the driest months of the year, its leaves are often the only water
source for many bighorn sheep. The yellow flowers that bloom May to July when few other plants flower provide nectar for hummingbirds and insects. The
plant provides food for the caterpillar of giant skipper butterfly, and carpenter bees make their home by tunneling into the pithy flower stalk."
Source: www.eduscapes.com/nature/notcacti/index1.htm
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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bajabuddha
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Agave (US: /əˈɡɑːviː/,[1] UK: /əˈɡeɪviː/,[2] Anglo-Hispanic:
/əˈɡɑːveɪ/[3]) is a genus of monocots. The plants are perennial, but each rosette flowers once and then dies (see
semelparity). Some species are known by the name century plant.[4]
In the APG III system, the genus is placed in the subfamily Agavoideae of the broadly circumscribed family Asparagaceae.[5] Some authors prefer to
place it in the segregate family Agavaceae. Traditionally, it was circumscribed to be composed of about 166 species, but it is now usually understood
to have about 208 species.[6]
Just a few more than you thought!! ...From Wikipedia re: Agave
I don't have a BUCKET LIST, but I do have a F***- IT LIST a mile long!
86 - 45*
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wessongroup
Platinum Nomad
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What "plants" give .. is amazing
and the colors in that photo are "nice"
[Edited on 10-15-2015 by wessongroup]
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BornFisher
Super Nomad
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Registered: 1-11-2005
Location: K-38 Santa Martha/Encinitas
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yeah, like this agave----
Agave tequilana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tequila agave
Agave tequilana, commonly called blue agave (agave azul) or tequila agave, is an agave plant that is an important economic product of Jalisco, Mexico,
due to its role as the base ingredient of tequila, a popular distilled beverage. The high production of sugars, mostly fructose, in the core of the
plant is the main characteristic that makes it suitable for the preparation of alcoholic beverages.
The tequila agave is native to Jalisco, Mexico. The plant favors altitudes of more than 1,500 metres (5,000 ft) and grows in rich and sandy soils.
Blue agave plants grow into large succulents, with spiky fleshy leaves, that can reach over 2 metres (7 ft) in height. Blue agaves sprout a stalk
(quiote) when about five years old that can grow an additional 5 metres (16 ft); they are topped with yellow flowers.[2][3]
The stalk is cut off from commercial plants so the plant will put more energy into the heart.[4]
The flowers are pollinated by a native bat (Leptonycteris nivalis) and produce several thousand seeds per plant. The plant then dies. The shoots on
commercial plants are removed when about a year old to allow the heart to grow larger. The plants are then reproduced by planting these shoots; this
has led to a considerable loss of genetic diversity in cultivated blue agave.
It is rare for one kept as a houseplant to flower, but a 50-year-old blue agave in Boston grew a 30-foot (9 m) stalk requiring a hole in the
greenhouse roof and flowered in the summer of 2006.[5][6]
"When you catch a fish, you open the door of happiness."
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durrelllrobert
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| Quote: Originally posted by BajaRat | | Quote: Originally posted by BajaTed | The giant flower stalks on the Century Cactus in North Baja are starting to sprout 3 and 4 flower stalks @ once, never seen that before. I think the cactus know El Nino is coming to Baja
BTW, the most spectacular sunset on Sat. I was waiting for my green flash and got a light show that reminded me of the 70's |
Probably just Fucushima fall out to blame |
Since Doug let the word Fuc*shima go through you must be special Rat.
Doesn't wpork for me.
Bob Durrell
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Mexitron
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Posts: 3397
Registered: 9-21-2003
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
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| Quote: Originally posted by bajabuddha | They are incredibly beautiful cact OOPS !!! I mean AGAVE, for the botanically sensitive..) , but man, what a pain they can be... we have tons (literally) in this area for landscaping, and when they do finally
bloom it's the end of the line for the plant. Those trunks are very dense, wet and heavy, and are designed by nature to fall over to spread their
offspring around; but when they do fall, fences or anything in their way is subject to a rude awakening. The carcass of the plant and its' stalk are
huge and difficult to discard; I'm talking chainsaw here. I had a neighbor who, to save our mutual fence, tied a rope to the stalk of his and pulled
it over with his pick-em-up truck; he learned the hard way to use a longer line next time; put quite a dent in the roof of his pride and joy.
Love to see 'em....... in other people's yards.
[Edited on 10-14-2015 by bajabuddha] |
Next time let the dead agave dry out completely. When dessicated move to an open area. Wander down to the beach and get some mussels. Place the
mussels into the leaves of the agave and set it on fire. Cooks mussels perfectly, serve with butter. And no plant to haul off.
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Mexitron
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We tried some agave stalk with our dinner a couple years ago, pretty good!
[Edited on 10-18-2015 by Mexitron]
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bajabuddha
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| Quote: Originally posted by Mexitron |
Next time let the dead agave dry out completely. When dessicated move to an open area. Wander down to the beach and get some mussels. Place the
mussels into the leaves of the agave and set it on fire. Cooks mussels perfectly, serve with butter. And no plant to haul off.
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Errrm, that's a little hard to do in Baja (southern part of), New Mexico, especially when the whole stalk is all the way across your
driveway. Good idea though; would cooking a Cottontail work as well? Lots of those in the yard, and Gordoniz too.
 
I don't have a BUCKET LIST, but I do have a F***- IT LIST a mile long!
86 - 45*
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bajagrouper
Senior Nomad
Posts: 964
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Location: Rincon de Guayabitos, Nayarit, Mexico
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Where I have a place on mainland Mexico the locals wait for the center stalk to get about a foot high and cut it off at the bottom of it, roast it
and eat it. Roasting brings out the natural sugars...
They then scoop out a hollow in the center and cover the cut with a piece of plywood and put a rock on top,after about a month they open it up and
there is the liquid Agua Miel or Honey Water which can be consumed that way or fermented and made into Pulque..The agave produces agua miel for over a
month but you have to keep the wood on top of the cut or animals will drink it at night..
I hear the whales song
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