Sometimes called the "century plant", in practice flowering occurs after 8 - 20 years.
Although all the flowering plants will die, each group of plants at this site had plenty
of offset non-flowering rosettes for other years. The leaves of the rosettes are armed
with lethal stiff terminal spines, for which one rapidly aquires respect, and sharp
marginal teeth.

Desert Agave is one of the most drought-tolerant of the 136 species of agave found
in north America, and grows on stony terraine from south-eastern California and
south-western Arizona to Baja California and northern Sonora.

They grow as tall as 12-15 feet.