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A bloom for the ages

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 11, 2009

Now Brian Burnette says he knows why they call it the century plant.

For the first time since he moved into his house in 1963 on West Plymouth Street in Tampa, his ordinarily boring-looking plant is anything but that. About two weeks ago after some heavy rains, he noticed a stalk sprouting in the middle that eventually shot 30 to 40 feet toward the sky. Then the vibrant blooms came.

The plant resembles a cactus but is actually a succulent, Agave Americana.

"I'm 88 years old, and I've never seen anything like it," Burnette said. "It has a heritage that very few people have seen."

Keyword: The Dirt, to keep track of what our resident gardening experts, Penny Carnathan and Kim Franke-Folstad, are up to.

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