The rare flowering of this Nolina plant in Kalimpong has created a buzz among florists and ordinary people alike. The plant, which has its origins in Mexico, belongs to the agavaceae family and commonly flowers between the age of 30 and 40 years. “It is a monocartic plant, which means its life cycle ends with the flowering,” said R. B. Bhujel, a botanist and the principal of Cluny Women’s College. People have been queueing up in front of Tenzing Lepcha’s house at Lower Dungra Busti to get a glimpse of the plant, which flowered for the first time about a month-and-a-half ago after Lepcha bought it in 1973. Commonly known as ponytail plant, it is also called elephant foot because of its bulbous, scaly base. With its thin arching leaves sprouting from the top of a woody stem, Nolina makes a good ornamental plant, Lepcha said. “Nolina is also used in landscaping. However, its flower is not as important as its shoots,” said Bhujel. Many nurseries in Kalimpong grow the plant for commercial use. Bhujel believes that the plant might have been introduced in India by the British. Nolina prefers high temperatures during the active growth period and it must have a minimum of 10 degrees Celsius during winter. Slow at growing, its swollen bulb-like base stores water, which helps fight occasional dryness. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha