In the world, some unique century plants flower and fruit only once in a lifetime. It usually takes several months for a plant to mature, including germination, growth, and flowering… However, some take from several years to a hundred years.
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Incredible facts about century plants flower just once in their life
1. Corypha Umbraculifera (Talipot palm)
Corypha Umbraculifera (Talipot palm) is native to eastern and southern India and Sri Lanka. In addition, it is also grown in Cambodia, Myanmar, China, Thailand, and the Andaman Islands.
This palm is one of the largest palm species and reaches a height of up to 25 m (82 feet), 6–8 m long, and a trunk with a diameter of 1.3 m.
Moreover, Corypha Umbraculifera blooms flower only once every 30 to 80 years old. The fruits are round, yellow, 3–4 cm in diameter, and need about a year to ripen. However, it will die immediately after flowering and fruiting.
In addition, Corypha Umbraculifera has many different names depending on the country. In the Philippines, it is called Buri or Buli. India – Kudapana, Talo and Kudaipanai. Sri Lanka – Tala.
Palm leaves make umbrellas, roofing, and medicinal herbs, and the sap of trees makes palm wine.
2. Tahina Spectabilis (Tahina palm)
Tahina palm lives only in Analalava, Madagascar. This is a giant palm with a height of about 20 m and a diameter of 5 m. Its inflorescences appear only after the stem reaches its maximum height and grows upright like a light pole.
In addition, like the Talipot palm, the Tahina palm life cycle is also unusual. Flowering and fruiting of this palm only once, and this happens after about 100 years. After a few months of fruiting, it will weaken and die. The reason is that the plant must provide nutrients to so many flowers that it is exhausted and dies.
3. Puya Berteroniana (Puya Alpestris)
Puya berteroniana (Puya alpestris) lives in Chile, the Andes Mountains, South America. This plant belongs to the Bromeliad family (relatives of pineapple). This succulent plant has magnificent teal-green flowers and green leaves with small hook-shaped spikes.
This plant has a height of about 3 to 4 m (9 to 13 feet), and the inflorescence can reach 9 to 10 m. Puya berteroniana is easy to adapt to harsh environments. The funnel-shaped flowers only once in life. Moreover, the plant will die after flowering.
4. Melocanna Baccifera
Melocanna Baccifera is a unique bamboo belonging to the bamboo family. It grows in wet tropics such as Bangladesh, Myanmar and India. It has a diameter of 50-90mm and a height of 10-25 m.
Plants bloom once every about 50 years, even longer, and die after flowering. In addition, according to the indigenous peoples, bamboo flowering is considered a bad omen and destruction for the home, so they hope this never happens.
The reason is that the seed dispersal of bamboo attracts a lot of rodents, and one of them is black rats. Therefore, the increased number of black rats every time a flowering plant can cause an outbreak of diseases. In addition, they gnaw all the people’s food warehouses.
5. Puya Raimondii
Puya Raimondii is called the “Queen of the Andes” and belongs to the pineapple family. The “Queen of the Andes” lives only in Peru and Bolivia. It grows between 3,000–4,800 m (9,800–15,700 feet) and is well adapted to the harsh environment in a variety.
In addition, Puya Raimondii has a life expectancy of about 100 years, and it flowers only once at the end of its life. Moreover, the tallest inflorescence in the world can reach 9 to 10 meters and contains 3000 beautiful white flowers. This plant is now in danger of extinction.
