Sibi eae NE RE eta ae ieee tet ak as * 
Tas. 8461. 
FURCRAEA k&LEcans. 
—_ 
Mexico. 
AMARYLLIDACEAE. Tribe AGAVEAR. 
Fororara, Vent.; Benth. et Hook. J. Gen. Plant. vol. iii. p. 739. 
Furcraea elegans, Tod. Hort. Bot. Panorm. p. 13,t.4; Baker, Handb. Amaryl. 
p. 201; J. R. Drummond in Rep. Missouri Bot. Gard. 1907, pp. 45, 66, 74, 
t. 2; species ex affinitate F. HAavoviridis, Hook., a qua foliis crassioribus 
spinis validioribus staminorumque filamentis brevius subulatis differt. 
Suffrutex. acaulis. Folia 40-50 rosulatim disposita, primum erecto-patula, 
demum patentia vel recurva, 2-2°35 m. longa, 10 em. lata, longe lanceolata, 
i pagina superiore tumida marginibus compressis, supra basin vix 
contracta, convexa, deinde gradatim plana, tertia suprema canaliculata, 
apice spina recta 1°5 em. longa instructa, marginibus spinis antice curvatis 
subtriangularibus acuminatis armata, supra obscure viridia purpureo- 
marginata, subtus scabra. Inflorescentia 7°75 m. alta, gemmifera; pedun- 
culus basi circiter 15 em. diametro, fere ad basin ramiger; rami ad 1-7 m. 
longi, multiflori; bracteae lanceolatae; pedicelli 1 em. longi, nutantes. 
Perianthium glabrum; tubus 2°2 em. longus, extra demum brunneus ; seg- 
menta 3 cm. longa, ovata, intus pallide viridia, exteriora interioribus paullo 
angustiora, extra purpurea demum brunnescentia. Filamenta 1 em. longa, 
fusiformia, apice breviter subulata ; antherae_ oblongae, basi breviter 
cordatae. Stylus staminibus paullo longior, parte inferiore alte canaliculata, 
parte superiore cylindrica; stigma breviter trilobum.—/F Ghiesbreghtii et 
f. pugioniformis, Hort. Vershaffelt. ex Tod. Hort. Bot. Panorm. p. 13.— 
C. H. Wrieur. 
The fine Furcraea which forms the subject of our illus- 
tration is a native of Mexico, which has been known in 
European collections for many years. It was first described 
by the late Professor Todaro from a plant which flowered 
in the Botanic Garden at Palermo in 1875, and is distin- 
guished from all the other species which have a very short 
stem or are quite stemless, by the size of its leaves which 
at times attain a length of nearly eight feet. Its nearest 
ally in the genus is F. flavoviridis, Hook., figured at t. 5163 
of this work, which however has thinner leaves with more 
slender marginal spines and has the upper subulate portion 
of the filaments as long as the lower swollen part. Another 
ally is F. undulata, Jacobi, figured at t. 6160 of the 
Botanical Magazine; this latter, however, is a much 
smaller plant, with the leaves conspicuously contracted just 
above the base, while the inflorescence is unbranched in its 
Ocrozer, 1912. 
