NEWS

This Agave americana now towers over the UGA staff member who planted it 17 years ago

Andrew Shearer
Athens Banner-Herald
Paul Duncan, associate director of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute and supervisor of the Latin American Ethnobotanical Garden at the University of Georgia, stands with a 17-year-old Agave americana plant at 290 South Hull St. in Athens, Ga., on June 10, 2021.

It's not quite "Little Shop of Horrors," but the monstrous size of an Agave americana plant behind a yellow house at 290 South Hull St. definitely borders on intimidating.

Planted in 2004 by Paul Duncan, associate director of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute at the University of Georgia, the "queen" currently stands 20 feet tall, and has sprouted 15 root stems around the base.

Atop the asparagus-like stem that measures 8 inches in diameter, flowers are about to bloom. According to Duncan, who is also the supervisor of UGA's Latin American Ethnobotanical Garden, this event occurs once in a generation.

(Story continues after photo...)

Paul Duncan, associate director of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute and supervisor of the Latin American Ethnobotanical Garden at the University of Georgia, stands with a 20-foot-tall Agave americana plant at 290 South Hull St. in Athens, Ga., on June 10, 2021.

"After flowering and setting seed, the queen will die, slowly, starting with the stalk and working down to the plant itself," Duncan told the Banner-Herald. "The clones will continue to thrive."

Originally found in Mexico, the Agave americana is known as a hearty plant that can weather extreme temperatures, and can be found in nearly every kind of environment from coastal areas to deserts and mountains.

Indigenous people have been using the agave for thousands of years to make paper, baskets, soap and medicinal items, and some parts are edible. Agave tequilana is the subspecies that is cooked and distilled to make tequila, but mescal — another liquor — can be made from any agave plant.

(Story continues after photo...)

The central flower stalk of a 17-year-old Agave americana plant is shown in this photo taken June 10, 2021, at the University of Georgia's Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute building at 290 South Hull St. in Athens, Ga.

Given the rarity of the Agave americana and the off-campus location of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute, Duncan encourages local residents and avid gardeners to come see the plant while it's in flower. There are also other Latin American plant varieties on view at the property.

"(The Agave americana) was about 12 feet high just a month ago, so it's gotten much larger than I expected," said Duncan. "We're lucky that it has survived all the storms we've had lately."

Duncan can be reached via email at pduncan@uga.edu, and noted that the larger Latin American Ethnobotanical Garden behind Baldwin Hall is currently looking for volunteers. Learn more at https://ethnobot.uga.edu/