Macho Mocha mangave flowers!
May 05, 2009
Look what I noticed yesterday afternoon.
The ‘Macho Mocha’ mangave’s flower spike is beginning to open!
The top of it is over my head, at about seven feet tall.
When all those buds open, it should be an amazing sight. Stay tuned!
And in case you were wondering whether I’d forgotten my beloved ‘Whale’s Tongue’ agave (A. ovatifolia ) amid the frenzy of mangave-watching, here he is, sitting regally atop the raised bed near the bottle tree, overlooking the pool. He seems content in his new home.
All material © 2006-2009 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Pretty cool!! Will be back to see the full opening.
Finally the Macho Mangave is beginning the show. You should have some hummingbirds come around to taste test this flower soon. I am glad the whales tongue hasn’t fall out of favor in the new garden. He does look regal sitting there.
The Whale is still loved! I think I worried everyone with my new fascination with the sharkskin agave. 😉 —Pam
Pam, It’s good to know the whale’s tongue is doing well! I already like the looks of the blooms on Macho! gail
Cool!
Wow! I can’t wait to see something that large in bloom! Those are huge stamens? Should be gorgeous.
He does seem content! I think perhaps you, Pam, are one person who truly understands my watching the aloe spike grow and finally bloom. You watch it every day like a child you’re tending to. It probably seems a bit odd to some. But I think you get it. Mine is near its pinnacle!
Brenda
Oh, I get it, Brenda. I’ve been behind on blog reading lately, but I did see pics of your aloe bloom, and it was getting pretty impressive. BTW, check out Danger Garden and The Germinatrix for two other gardeners who understand the thrill of agave and aloe blooms. —Pam
That is wild! What an interesting flower. I wonder what it is designed to attract?
Hummingbirds, I expect. I will have my eyes peeled to see if any appear. My new garden is sorely lacking in hummers, but I plan to remedy that with salvias and aloes and Turk’s caps. —Pam
That is a truly amazing bloom. Even the pistils and stamens are macho. And soo graphic. I love to take graphic pics of plants and flowers.
It’s macho all right. Glad you’re enjoying the pics. —Pam
very cool! i recognized a macho mocha in our neighborhood last week from your blog photos. now i need to take another walk to see if its blooming too.
whales tongue is also so pretty.
They must be blooming all over Austin right now. Enjoy! —Pam
If I were rich I’d be on a plane to come down and see this in person. But alas I am not! Well and there is the little detail of my just showing up at your door, which would be weird! (don’t worry I’m not an agave stalker, just an admirer) Thank goodness I have your pictures to live vicariously though, it’s gorgeous!
And thanks for the mention above to Brenda, I’m heading over to see your aloe Brenda! My aloe has only bloomed once…I am praying that it happens again someday. Gotta have hope.
Loree, my agaves would never think of you as a stalker, just a fan. I hope you make it to Austin one of these days, where we have agaves and dangerous plants galore. —Pam
Cool plant! I don’t know anything about it…time to research:)
Fun to see a mangave bloom, I have never seen it before.
We have just started our spring here in Sweden.
Ken
I’ve been wondering what the blooms would look like. Stunning so far.
The contrast certainly adds to the interest- the brown green and yellow. I have an agave that has similar blooms but they are very boring. I have some smaller mangaves that I picked up at the WFC. I hope they have interesting blooms. I wonder when your whales tongue will bloom. Don’t be surprised if it is soon because transplant shock will often cause them to bloom earlier than if they had grown in the wild. That’s what happened to mine.
I’ve been expecting to see the ‘Whale’s Tongue’ send up a bloom stalk because of the move. I examine it closely every day, but still nothing. Time will tell.
Were your smaller mangaves from the WFC actually manfredas perhaps? I had a small native Manfreda maculosa (Texas tuberose) in my old garden, and it was quite sweet in bloom. —Pam
So not what I was expecting. Not sure what I was expecting… but it wasn’t that! Very cool indeed.
I am glad you posted a shot of the Whale Tongue, a proud mother must pay equal attention to all of her children lest feelings get hurt.
I love watching this plant; impressive and surprising all at the same time.
What a spectacular show. I’m always amazed at the variety of blooms from one plant to another. I’m dying to see the whale’s tongue when it blooms!
Me too, Nola, but I can wait since the ‘Whale’s Tongue’ will die after it blooms. —Pam
That’s pretty cool and well worth the anticipation.
Wow, that is great looking. I thought it would be white, glad it’s not. The hummers might not feed on it as so many that feed on yucca’s and agaves are species specific. Lets hope our hummers don’t care. A hummer picture on it would be cool.
Wow. That Mocha is just drama all the way.
It may be worth buying the plant even if it is sterile and dies after flower, just to get that show.
Fantastic!
Pam, now I’ve simply got to get a Macho Mocha. And thanks for more pictures of the Diamond Frost euphorbia. Am adding that to my list. Plus, I think I just saw it in San Antonio and didn’t know what it was. Will explore more, but thanks for the pictures to make it easier to identify new discoveries. Linda
Linda, this one has produced many pups under its skirt of leaves, and once the bloom has died back I will try to excavate a few of them. I’ll let you know if I have extras to share. —Pam
This is totally different than I expected. Very tropical looking. Does this plant die after producing the flower stalk? You may have mentioned that in previous posts, but I’ve forgotten if you did.
Aiyana
I have it on good authority that it does not die after blooming, Aiyana, meaning it has the flowering characteristics of manfredas rather than agaves. —Pam
Okay – this is a MUST HAVE! Macho Mocha’s dusky blossoms have captured my heart … I can only imagine the hummingbirds in your neighborhood forming a gang and descending on it en masse! I am so thrilled for you – isn’t it amazing when the blossoms open? But THESE blossoms are something ELSE entirely. I must have an MM!
And thanks so much for the recommend to Brenda! I must say, I adore meeting other lovers of the sharper side of gardening. We have something extra – punctures and gashes!
XO!