A bloom years in the making has been spotted in Belvedere.
An Agave americana plant, more commonly known as a century plant, is in bloom at a home on Kerr Street.
Michael Deaner, owner of the property, said he's had the plant for more than a decade, but this is the first time he's seen it bloom.
"A lady gave it to me in a pot, and she told me not to plant it because it would get big," he said of the plant. "I stuck it in the ground, and here it is. It's as tall as a telephone pole, so that's about 30 feet."
The plant is known as a century plant because it only blooms once every 10 to 30 years.
The plant flowers near the end of its life, shooting up a stalk with blossoms of yellow or green.
The stalk comes from the base of the plant, which has large leaves with sharp points.
"My momma said the blooms look like Shrek's ears," Deaner said. "They're odd looking. The only time I've ever seen one blooming is in some old Western movies, because the plant comes from Mexico. Some people have told me the whole plant dies after it blooms, some have said it doesn't. Right now, I'm trying to keep it from tipping over, in case it doesn't die."
According to research done by the United States Department of Agriculture, the Agave americana will bloom, then die and will then produce suckers that will continue its growth. Dealer has replanted some of the suckers around other parts of his yard.
"The main thing I do is keep the baby plants plucked out of there, it shoots them out, and plucking them out makes the plant grow better," he said.
"I used to keep the bottom trimmed back; when the leaves would turn brown, I cut them off. Two years ago, we had the ice storm, and it messed it up pretty bad. I haven't been trimming them lately, and I guess I shouldn't have been from the start."
The century plant is currently leaning due to damage from a recent thunderstorm, but still has blooms on display.