lower portion. At Kew F. elegans has long been in culti- 
vation and has thriven well in the Succulent House under 
the treatment suitable for Agaves and other species of 
Lurcraea. Here, however, it has not yet flowered, aud the 
material for our figure has been obtained from a plant 
which flowered in the garden of Lady Hanbury at La 
Mortola, Ventimiglia, in March, 1912. When communi- 
cating this material Mr. A. Berger also kindly supplied 
excellent photographs which show the habit of the plant. 
In this La Mortola plant the exterior of the flower was 
more highly coloured than in the Palermo specimen de- 
picted in Todaro’s original figure, where the brownish tint 
is but slightly indicated. 
DEscriprion.— Undershrub, stemless. Leaves 40-50, rosu- 
late, at first ascending, ultimately spreading or recurved, 
63-8 ft. long, 4 in. wide, narrow lanceolate, swollen at the 
base on the upper side with the margins there compressed, 
above the base hardly at all contracted, convex at first 
then by degrees flat and in the upper third channelled, 
armed at the tip with a straight spine nearly 2 in. long and 
along the margins with somewhat triangular acuminate 
spines which curve forwards, dull green with purplish 
margins on the upper surface, scabrid on the lower surface, 
Inflorescence up to 25 ft. in height, bulbiferous; peduncle 
about 6 in. thick at the base, branching throughout ; 
branches up to 53 ft. long, many-flowered; bracts 
lanceolate ; pedicels % in. long, nodding. Perianth 
glabrous ; tube over 3 in, long, pale purple at length 
brownish outside ; lobes 1{ in. long, ovate, very pale green 
within, the outer rather narrower than the others, purple 
at length brownish outside. Filaments % in. long, fusiform, 
with shortly subulate tips ; anthers oblong, slightly cordate 
at the base, Style rather longer than the stamens, 
channelled below, cylindric above ; stigma shortly 3-lobed. 
Figs. 1 and 2, stamens; 3, style:—all enlarged. 
