The century plant is a large distinctive flowering plant. It is native to Mexico, Arizona and Texas but is widely cultivated elsewhere and is now found on all continents except Antarctica. It prefers dry, arid regions and grows well in the Mediterranean.

The impressive leaves grow nearly a metre long and have a large, painful spike at the end. But the most impressive feature are the flowers which appear at the top of the spikes – which can be three metres high – just before the plant dies.

The century plant, which lives from 10 to 30 years, is known in Maltese as sabbara tal-Amerika. Sabbara is the Maltese for aloes, including the Aloe vera, even though the century plant is not related to aloes at all.

The century plant is an invasive species and has established itself in several parts of the Maltese islands, including Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, Għar Lapsi and Ta’ Ċenċ in Gozo. At Ta’ Ċenċ, several plants are now growing on the cliff face and they have become a threat to the shearwaters that breed along the cliffs.

The century plant propagates itself by seed and by means of suckers which grow into new plants close to the mother plant. Although it is a hardy plant, it is slow growing, does not spread very fast and is easy to control. The plants growing in important natural areas such as Ta’ Ċenċ cliffs in Gozo should be removed.

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