When blooms occur, the stalk may produce flowers for many weeks, although each individual flower lasts only one week. In its native range, flowers are cross-pollinated by moths, hummingbirds and bats. When the flowers are spent and seeds have been produced, the plant has used all the energy stored in its enormous leaves and rosette, and dies in about six weeks. All that remains are seeds for the future generation of Century Plants, and vegetative shoots called pups that rise from the base of the dead parent plant. This botanical phenomenon is known as monocarpism.
Bananas are also monocarpic.
The Century Plant had reached a height of over 30 feet. Much attention was given to this unique botanical occasion at the Como Park Conservatory. On April 19, a section of the fiberglass roof was removed to allow the flower stalk, or inflorescence, to continue to grow upward through the roof line, and an enclosure was built to protect it from cold damage. The four sides of this enclosure were hinged to permit viewing during pleasant weather and to provide fresh air for the plant. On May 29, the Century Plant stood 30-feet high, and the enclosure was removed to allow further growth.