young plant under the name of “4. geminiflora, filamentosa,”’ 
quite remarkable for its copious filaments: so that it is probable 
the plant of English gardens, at least, is not the true geminiflra, 
or else the plant varies remarkably in the absence or presence of 
these filaments. From the two species to which I have now al- 
luded, our plant may be recognized by the foliage alone: in them 
the leaves are, comparatively, soft and flaccid ; there are no strie, 
there is no scabrous margin, and .the surface is dark green, mi- 
nutely dotted with a pale, closely adherent scurf, only visible 
under a lens. Our J. striata has flowered during the present 
year, for the first time. 
Dzscr. Stemless or nearly so. Leaves very numerous, from 
a short trunk or caudex, which is entirely clothed by them, two 
to two and a half feet long, from a broad base, linear, very rigid, 
tapering gradually-to the apex, which is terminated by a horny 
brown point, extremely pungent. In substance the leaf is thick ; 
a transverse section gives a compressed rhomboid figure, within 
spongy, but full of fibre ; externally the surface is glaucous-green, 
marked with rather closely placed, parallel lines; the margin is 
rough, with a very narrow cartilaginous edge, which is minutely 
serrated. The younger and central leaves are erect, the lowest 
ones recurved, the intermediate ones horizontally patent, but 
with a slight recurvation. Scape arising from the centre of the 
foliage, rather stout, four to six feet long, terminated by a long 
spike, of densely compacted flowers, imbricated in the bud and 
elongating as the flowers expand, so that the apex attains a 
height of ten to twelve feet from the ground. The scape, below 
the spike, has numerous, spreading, long, filiform or subulate 
scales, two to three inches long; these are flowerless dracts: the 
same, but smaller and green, subtend the flowers. These latter 
are in pairs, sessile; green externally, yellowish-green within. 
Perianth infundibuliform. The six segments ovate, moderately 
spreading. Filaments of the stamen stout, almost thrice as long 
as the corolla. Anthers large, lear, dark purple. Ovary, com- 
bined with the perianth, obscurely three-angled. _Sty/e thick, as 
long as the filaments. Stigma obscurely three-lobed, downy. 
Capsule subbaccate, short ovate, black, terminated by the wi- 
thered perianth, obtusely trigonous, three-celled : ce//s with many 
very glossy black seeds. 3 
Fig. 1. Entire plant, on a very reduced scale. 2. Apex of a leaf :—nat. size. 
3. Transverse section of a leaf:—magnified. 4. Portion of a rachis of the spike 
with flowers :—uat. size. 5. Section of the ovary :—magnified. 
