When the century plant (Agave) becomes twenty-some years old it sends up its flowering stalk, sometimes topping 20' in height. It blooms July and August and is much loved by the humming birds. In the years before blooming, the century plant’s leaf formation is both beautiful and painful. The points on the end of its leaves can stab easily and it carries a juice that can irritate some people quite badly. After it blooms, the century plant dies. Its seeds will germinate to form new ones in addition to the new plants already formed on the old plant’s root system.