Native Plants
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Tuesday - May 15, 2007
From: austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Cacti and Succulents
Title: Semelparous: plant that dies after reproduces. Agave and bamboo.
Answered by: Damon Waitt
QUESTION:
There is a term for a plant who lives its life (usually more than 2 years) sends up a spectacular flowering structure, and then dies. what is that term? a certain plant that falls into that category is Agave americana. please let me know Mr. Smarty Plants!ANSWER:
Mr. Smarty Plants believes the term you are lookig for is semelparous. It is used to describe an organism that reproduces just once during its lifetime, after which death is inevitable. Examples include annual and biennial plants but also some longer lived plants like Agaves and Bamboo. This reproductive strategy is sometimes referred to as "Big Bang" reproduction, one Big output of offspring then you go out with a Bang. The opposite, of course, is iteroparous where an organism has multiple reproductive events during their lifetime.More Cacti and Succulents Questions
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Mystery cactus in Williamson County, Texas
May 27, 2008 - We have a cactus plant on our place that I have not seen anywhere else in central Texas. The flowers are bright yellow with wine-red centers, but very sparse--only one flower blooms at a time. The p...
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Foundation plants for Albuquerque.
July 01, 2012 - Hello,
I live in Albuquerque. I am looking for some native/xeric low water usage plants for foundation plants for my home.
They will be foundation plants for a two story home that has a large ponde...
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Eliminating agave roots in Tonto Basin AZ
April 22, 2009 - Greetings Mr. Smarty Plants, from Tonto Basin, AZ! We have numerous mature (huge!) Agave Americana plants here, and have, until recently, enjoyed them. However, we are now ready for a drastic landscap...
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Life span of the century plant (Agave spp.)
June 17, 2009 - I have a beautiful century plant that is blooming. what will happen once the bloom is done? What is the life span of the plant?
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