Agave plant in bloom in ‘botanical unicorn event’ at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium

It’s a botanical event more than 17 years in the making at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. That is where a desert-native Agave plant is blooming for the first—and only—time in its life.

“Meet Agave parryi var. truncata, a desert-dwelling succulent that has quietly been growing for over 17 years,” the zoo said in a blog post Thursday. “Now, in its grand finale, it’s sending up a colossal flowering stalk. This spectacular bloom is the plant’s one and only shot at flowering before the central rosette dies, making it a once-in-a-lifetime event for zoo guests and horticulture enthusiasts alike.”

The stalk may reach heights of 20 feet over the next two to three weeks. After that, the zoo said, the plant will die. However, it will leave behind “pups,” which are clone offshoots at its base. Those may bloom again in about 20 years.

“To see one bloom in the Pacific Northwest is a botanical unicorn event,” said the zoo’s lead horticulturist, Bryon Jones. “It’s extremely rare to encounter one in Washington, let alone reach maturity and bloom.”

Agave parryi var. truncata is native to the high deserts of the American Southwest and parts of Mexico, the post said.

Agave is ‘reaching skyward’ at Point Defiance Zoo

The zoo said that over the past two weeks, the plant has shot up more than five feet and “it’s still reaching skyward.”

“The stalk could grow up to 20 feet tall before the full display erupts in a blaze of red-orange buds and sunny yellow blossoms,” the post said.

You are invited to watch the blooming in action.

It will likely be over by early June.

The Agave is located in Point Defiance Zoo’s Desert Garden