name takes precedence of Leichtlinia, agrees so well with 
that of the Agaves and the Littaeas that it seems desirable 
to consider the group a subgenus of Agave. All the Man- 
fredas are Mexican with the exception of A. virginica 
which is confined to the Southern United States. One of 
the best known is A. maculata, Regel, figured at t. 5122 
of this work as “A. maculosa.” The Kew plant of A. 
protuberans was received from Mr. Leichtlin in 1882 
shortly after its introduction from Mexico, where it in- 
habits the mountains near San Luis Potosi at altitudes of 
6,000-8,000 feet above sea level. The species flowered in 
1908 with Mr. R. H. Beamish at Glounthaune near Cork, 
and in June, 1910, at Colesborne, with Mr. H. J. Elwes, 
to whom we are indebted for the material for our figure. 
Like the other Manfredas, A. protuberans requires green- 
house conditions, 
Descript10N.—LHerb ; stemless; tuber globose, 2 in. wide, 
perennial. Leaves radical, rosulate, somewhat fleshy, 
fragile, linear-lanceolate, 6-8 in. long, 14-12 in. wide, 
above channelled or almost conduplicate, green blotched 
with brownish purple, margins even or waved, narrowly 
white-cartilaginous and very finely denticulate. Scape 
erect, 2 ft. high, } in. thick, rigid and slightly glaucous; 
bracts lanceolate, acuminate, the largest 14 in. long or 
longer, gradually diminishing upward, thick. Spike 4 in. 
long, dense-flowered; flowers solitary on the swollen nodes 
of the rachis; bracteoles 2, an abaxial with a deltoid base 
4 in. wide, acuminate at the tip, reaching 3 in. in length, 
purplish with white margins, and a lateral which is much 
smaller, membranous and whitish. Perianth with a short 
tube, only } in. long, and with oblong, obtuse segments 
slightly hooded at the tip, greenish and finely blotched 
with purple, } in. long, } in. wide. Filaments far exserted, 
1% in. long, subulate, white blotched with purple; anthers 
oblong, $ in. long, brownish purple. Ovary 1 in, long, 
} in. wide, 6-ribbed, oblique; style cylindric, as long as the 
stamens; stigma thickened, 3-lobed. 
Fig. 1, portion of perianth, showing staminal insertion and stamens ; 2, pistil, 
showing ovary in vertical section; 8, transverse section of ovary ; 4, ovule; 
5, sketch of an entire plant:—all enlarged except 5, which is much reduced. 
