Until the early 21st century, Monument Plant was thought to be biennial, i.e., basal leaf growth in the first season, flower and then seed growth in the second season, and death of the plant at the end of the second season.  But continuous research since 1973 by Dr. David Inouye at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado, indicates that Monument Plant produces flowers only once in its lifetime of 20 to 80 years and then dies.  It is thus called a monocarpic plant, i.e., one which grows many years, flowers once, then dies.  Perhaps the most well know monocarpic plant is the Southwest's Century Plant.          

     Dr. Inouye's research also shows that large numbers of Monument Plants periodically flower in unison. When such a coordinated flowering occurs, hundreds or even thousands of plants flower within a small area (often a sunny, open, grassy mountain side).  The 2003 blooming season was the most spectacular since Dr. Inouye began his research in the 1960s.  The 2005 blooming season almost equaled the 2003 season.  The 2010 season produced an enormous bloom.  Dr. Inouye described the 2010 season as follows: 

In the area around the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory this summer [2010] Frasera speciosa... is exhibiting mast flowering, for the first time since 2005....  In our area it is quite spectacular, with many thousand (maybe 12-15,000) plants flowering in the East River valley, with flower stalks about 5 feet tall. This species is monocarpic, with average age at flowering probably about 30-40 years.

     2015 also produced a phenomenal mast flowering, and Dr. Inouye wrote about it in "RMBL Notes", published in the Gothic News.

    Dr. Inouye has found that a microscopically detectable flower stalk begins forming 3-4 years before it actually erupts into its massive flowering stalk, and he suspects that there are environmental factors which trigger the flowering.  As of 2010, Dr. Inouye's research shows that "A very wet July and August 4 years previous seems to be the cue for [Frasera speciosa] to start preforming a flower stalk".

     Monument Plant is often mistaken for Mullein (Verbascum thapsus, a yellow Scrophulariaceae) or Corn Lily (Veratrum californicum, a white Melanthiaceae).  But Monument Plant has several distinguishing characteristics: in the non-flowering plants the leaves of the huge basal rosette are long, narrow, smooth, and pale green;  in flowering plants the leaves along the flower stalk are also long and narrow, becoming shorter toward the top of the plant.  Flowers are star-like, wide open, and white with green streaking and purple dots. Numerous flowers are open at the same time all along the flowering stalk.  Mullein's leaves are downy soft from numerous hairs, and the flowers are yellow and few open at any given time near the top of the flower stalk.  Corn Lily's leaves are pleated and elliptical and the numerous flowers are quite small and white/green.

     Monument Plant was first collected for science by David Douglas (of Douglas Fir fame) in the present-day Spokane area in the early 1830s.  The genus name, "Frasera", is for John Fraser, 18th century nurseryman and botanist who collected for Kew Gardens and the Empress of Russia.  "Speciosa" ("showy") is for the leaves and massive display of flowers. (Click for more biographical information about Fraser.)