The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-05
CENTURY PLANT TO BLOOM.
4 PLL1 GREEN SHOOT THAT mar
CRoW IHIRTY FEET.

-
srr. couaon Likely TO Hnvo TO Raise the Ssoor
of His ACCOMPLISHMENTS Cheracteristica
or the Mexican Plnnt-Thss shoot Now About
Fight Feet High and Three Inchcr Thick.
In the greenhouse OF J. Condor en- Fort HRmil-
ton Parkway, near Greenwood Cemetery, there
a. a plant which is growing at the rate of about
thrcc inches q day. 1t Ia q century plant, and
before tho summer is over 1t will burst Into
bloom for tho first and last time in its existence.
and soon afterwnrd die. for 1t IS n female plant.
Tho blooming of n century plant In this climate
In rure. and whom. in 1899. one of Mr.. Condon's
specimens put forth flowers people went from
all over this part of tho country to SEQ 1t.
This particular plant ia one Of n number In
Mir. Condon's greenhouses. Tho owner does not
know how long ago It was sent here from Mex
leo, but Il was a number of years ago. With
tho others it lay about the place, and nobody
paid much attention to Il, for the century plant
Is a hardy customer, calling for little care.
Moreover. there 10 no way of telling when the
plant is going to put forth tho flower shoot
which forms tho browning glory and marks the
end OF its life. Tho period of life differs in indi-
viduals Of tho species. About two weeks ago
there appeared in tho centre Of the spiny,
spreading leaves Of this particular plant n pale
green shoot.
ITS going to flower, sure enough" announced
tho excited employee who brought the news to
Mr.. Condor.
"wait a while,' replied Mr.. Condor after OK
amining the plant. ut may be only o leaf
shoot"
But the now growth was so rapid as to indi-
cate plainly that the plant was going to flower.
and tho owner was delighted. He had it moved
out into the sunlight and carefully tended, as
was dtting for n plant in whose life so important
an event impcnded. At present it is flourish
ing, and the stem, which is three inches thick
and as solid as hickory, has attained n growth Of
about eight feet, the initial rate OF growth being
moro rapid than at the present stage.
II all goes we'll the stem will reach a height
experimenting thirty feet, and from the upper
tn feet will sprout branches which bear the
flowers. n corn.Colored bloom hanging in sprays
in the manner of tho familiar bcgonia ruhra.
These blossoms will last perhaps two months.
fertile ground tiny ccntenarians win spring forth
from the earth, Almost before the little ones
have thrust their heads above ground the mother
plant. its mission fulfilled, viii have withcrcd
away, never to bloom again.
me- said Mr. Condon to a Sun reporter 'yester.
day. One blossoming century plant in a life
time is AZ that IT., q man maj h can reasonably ,Sfs expect Pc to TO
The plant was under n bench. and because the
shoot couldn't grow straight up 1t made for the
nearest light and cprled up from under the edge
of the bench like n big green serpent. There is
no way OF telling when the flower shoot is going
to appear. even IL one knows the age OF his
plants, which l don't. but it's mighty rarely
that one appears at all in this climate. In 90
] had to knock the roof out of my dollhouse for
the other plant and build a new roof oyer it.
1t was thirty feet high. Probably ! shall have
10 do the same for this one before it's through"
Mr.. Condon's specimen is the 1gare MerfcUnd,
its latter name indicating its nativity. In Mex.
leo these, plants grow, in great profusion. and
though they grow wild the McNicans encourage
them by cultivation because of their many use
FIJI qualities. Food it provides from the leaves,
parts Of which are eaten by the Moxicans as a
vegetable. Drink it provides from its Juice,
which. fermcntCd. becomes the insidious puluue,
and distilled becomes the fiery vino mezcal. a
sort of intensified brandy. shelter it pro-
yidcs from its flowers. which form a thatch
imperyious 10 rain. Besides the three
primal necessaries Of life it provides
other useful material. \ sort of soap
may be made from its leaves. pita fax is OBJ
tanned from the tlbrc, and the stem split down
the centre makes an excellent razor strop.
Moreover the natives obtain from it what is in
NcEico a great luxury, ice. The leaves are split
and laid hat in the sun. So rapid is the evapo-
ration that ice forms along the Sits in thin strips.
In Mexico this plant usually flowers in about
twenty-five years. but translated to cooler eli
mates, it takes much longer. After the flowers
have fallen the leaves swell enormously and
juice may be wrung from them like water from
u sponge. Next they shrivel and fall. and all
that is left of the mother plant Is the round,
stony stem.