areas, and Mr. Vicenzo Ricasoli, in the place quoted above, 
gives Mexico as its home. It appears to have been intro- 
duced to Italy in the first instance by Mr. Francesco 
Franzosini, in whose fine garden at Intra on Lago Maggiore 
there were plants prior to 1878, the year in which it was 
added by the late Sir T. Hanbury to his collection at La 
Mortola, where it flowered for the first time in 1889. Since 
then it has flowered repeatedly there, has always produced 
abundant seed, and has been widely distributed. It was 
first added to the collection of Agaves at Kew in 1890, when 
Sir T. Hanbury sent seeds to this establishment, which in 
1892 was further indebted to the same generous correspon- 
dent for a living plant. 
The plant from which the material employed in preparing 
our plate was obtained was a magnificent specimen in the 
garden at La Mortola, whose age was not much over 15 years. 
At the end of April it showed no sign of flowering, but in the 
middle of May the enormons peduncle began to appear, and, 
growing with great rapidity, reached its full size in about 
six weeks; the first flowers began to open on the lowest 
branches on July 21st, and a fortnight later the material for 
our plate was available, 
A, Franzosini is easily propagated by suckers which soon 
grow into sturdy plants under the treatment suitable for 
A. Vera Cruz, and appears to be as hardy as that species. 
At La Mortola it seems to prefer the hottest situations ; it 
requires as much light as possible, and should not be kept at 
all damp, otherwise it is apt to become less glaucous and to 
lose much of its distinctive beauty. At Kew A. Franzosum 
ph well under the treatment suitable to its nearest 
allies, 
Descriprion.—Stem 0; rosette very large, in full-grown 
examples 15 ft. wide and 10-11 ft. high, with about 40 
somewhat recurved and gracefully bent, whitish or bluish- 
white leay es and many suckers. Leaves about 74 ft. long, 
5-6 in. thick at the base, convex on both sides, but especially 
beneath, and there narrowed, 64 in. wide, thence oradually 
Fate wider and thinner upwards, oblanceolate an 
i ~16 in. across when flattened out, but generally broadly 
and deeply channelled while still young and erect, the 
margins at times wavy, the apex ending in a strong conica 
