The source of their interest is a five metre high flower which has bloomed from an Agave in Trudy Smith's front yard.

The flower recently reached its full height and has taken the form of a large green spike.

The plant was pre-established when Ms Smith moved into her home 12 months ago but she had no idea which species it belonged to.

Intrigued by its unusual appearance, she contacted Stawell Mitre 10 to help her identify it.

After examining the flower and consulting various gardening books, staff member Darrell Mair determined that the plant was a Victoria-reginae.

The species is very slow growing and is considered one of the most beautiful and desirable plants in the Agavaceae family.

The base of the plant forms dense leafy rosettes up to 45 centimetres in diameter but rarely grows taller than 22 centimetres.

Ms Smith is unsure when her Agave was planted but Mr Mair believes it was a very long time ago.

The Victoria-reginae has a long life cycle and takes approximately 20 to 30 years to produce flowers.

Interestingly, Mr Mair also discovered that the species usually dies within a short time of reaching its full growth as the effort to produce flowers exhausts the plant.

While Ms Smith's Agave still appears healthy but only time will tell if it suffers this fate.