Another beautiful photograph from my archive. This is a "Desert spoon" or "Sotol" plant. I spotted this one on the long road up to the peak of Kitt Peak Observatory which is on a mountain about 40 miles west of Tucson. This plant is a spectacular thing to see. Once mature, the plants bloom with a tall, pole-like flower spike that holds on the plant through the winter. The flower spike can grow to a height of 15 feet or more and can be up to 3" thick! I can't find it written anywhere, but I am sure someone told me that the main body of the plant grows most of the year looking like a bush, and then in the Fall, the spike shoots up all of a sudden. That must be something to see!
What a strange and fascinating plant. The focus is on the plant and then the nature surrounding it takes over...betsey
ReplyDeleteWonderful photo. It seems crazy that this spike shoots up from this odd plant. Learn something new everyday.
ReplyDeleteJoan