Ginormous Inflorescence!

The Irving Centre greenhouses have a nice collection of plants we use in our teaching labs. One of them happens to be a huge (3' across and 2' high) Aloe vera plant. A few weeks ago I noticed it was going to flower. I checked on it today and the first few blooms have opened.

Interestingly (from a plant dork perspective) is that that flowers start erect, grow outward, and then don't truly open (petals open so anthers and stigma can be exposed to pollinators) until the flowers are pointing down the stem. Most likely pollinated by a long-beaked bird based on the flower colour and length of the petal tube.

Class dismissed...