A rare Mexican plant which flowers only once in its lifetime has bloomed in Britain.

Scientists at Bangor University have waited 28 years to see the Century Plant (Agave americana) blossom.

Nobody was more shocked to see the 20ft specimen in full bloom than curator Nigel Brown, who planted the seed when he was a young student in 1979.

Mr Brown said: “We planted it to see if it could survive the British weather and pretty much forgot about it for a long time, just tending to it occasionally.

“Over the last 10 years I was hopeful that it might bloom but it wasn’t to be.

“This year’s poor summer didn’t augur well so you can imagine my shock when I arrived at work after the weekend to see it had sprouted a 5ft flower stalk with such force as to break the roof of the glasshouse.

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