Gordon Drummond: Agave Cactus

Artist: Gordon Drummond
1921 -
Nationality: British
Artwork Year: 1981
Image Size: 7 by 8.75 inches
Overall Size: 12 by 13.75 inches
Medium: Water Color on Cold Press Illustration Board

Protruding like spikes from rocky slopes, the Agave raises its flowered head high on stalks that sometimes reach a height of thirty feet. Long nicknamed the "century plant" it was once believed that the Agave bloomed only once every one hundred years; however, most species flower infrequently at intervals of ten to fifty years. The large clusters of leaves grow for years, building a sufficient reserve of food material to produce the enormous branched flower clusters. These yellow flowers are one to two inches in length and take the place of leaves in the cluster, but gradually die as the seeds develop and ripen. The fleshy leaves are usually sword shaped with spikes at their tips, but occasionally, dagger shaped leaves are produced while others may simply split off in shreds at the edges. In areas of abundance, the Agave's dead leaves litter the terrain, resembling starfish arms. Some spend an entire lifetime producing a single blooming stalk -- and then die. But a solitary cluster of flowers in the vast, uninhibited desert is infinitely more precious than a garden in the rich soils of a lush green meadow. Gliding above the Agave Cactus in this artwork is a Zone Tailed Hawk. A tropical American bird of prey, it ranges as far north as the wooded canyons and river bottoms of the southwestern United States.

This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood® First Day Cover for the U.S. 20¢ Agave Cactus stamp issued December 11, 1981.

Artwork Copyright © 1981 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): XB07242

US$ Price: $950.00

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