Rare century plant blooms 42 years later at Stapleton home

STAPLETON, Ala. (WKRG) — 42 years ago, Melba Williams planted a century plant at her home in Stapleton.

“I brought it out here and planted it, and it kept growing babies, it has babies all over it, and then all of a sudden, this year we looked out there and it had a big pole growing up in it and we were so excited,” Melba said.

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The century plant in bloom is the talk of the neighborhood.

Laura Mosley, a neighbor, says it caught her eye the minute it started to bloom just a week ago.

“I drive by here two or three times a day, I have century plants in my yard, but I have yet to see one bloom, I understand it’s only every thirty to forty years that a bloom is sent up then the sucker dies, then that’s it, but it’s just so special,” Mosley said.

George Mosley, says he was excited because it was the first century plant he had seen.

“I said look there, never saw one in this area and it’s just outstanding, it’s something you just don’t see every day,” Mosley said.

Dusty Williams, Melba’s brother, said it is a beautiful plant.

“It looks really good, I have seen three in my life,” he said.

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Melba says she remembers the day she planted this beautiful plant — back in the summer of  1982.

‘I kept telling myself, I’ll never see it, I’ll never see it, that’s what I said, but now I saw it, I kept thinking a century, I won’t live another century” she said.

She says, 42 years is a long time to wait for something to bloom, but it was worth it.

“It just keeps getting higher and higher and then I said where are the limbs and then it started climbing,” Williams said.

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The lifespan of century plants is 20 to 30 years. Williams says she is excited to be able to look at her century tree every morning for a while.

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