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FlJRCRCEA CIGANTEA. GlGANTIC FlJRCRCEA. 



fV- &. ,~V, i-V. &. A'm &. A'. iV. it'. it", it'. ."V. .•i', A'. A.- A'. i'l', 

 VK J[? a* <r> V W >s» W >*> <f "f* <V 't* •fl» <r» f *F ^f* 



C7«ss and Order. 

 Hexandria Monogynia. 



Generic Character. 



Cor. superu, 6-petala, patula. Filamenta corolla breviora, 

 interne obovata ; superne subulata. Stylus triqueter, basj 

 incrassatus. 



Specific Character and Synonyms. 



Furcroea gigantea ; caulescens, foliis integerrimis. Hort. 



Kew. ed. alt. 2. p. 302. 

 Furcrcea gigantea. Ventenat in Usteri Annul, der botan. 



19. p. 54. Plant, grass. 126 *. 

 Agave fatida ; caulescens foliis integerrimis, scapo ramoso, 



corollis hexapetalis. Willi. Sp. PL 2. p. 194. Jacq. 



Collect. 2. p. 212. Icon. rar. 2. t. 379. Lin. Syst. 



Veg. ed. 14. p. 388. 

 Aloe americana; viridi rigidissimo et fcetido folio Piet dicta 



indigenis. Commel. Hort. 2. p. 35. t. 18. sine inflores- 



centia. 



This genus is rather too nearly allied to Agave, from 

 which it has been separated by Ventenat, and named in 

 honour of M. Fourcroy, author of the elements of Natural 

 History and Chemistry ; a separation adopted in the Hortus 

 Kewensis, but rejected by M. Poiret in his supplement to 

 the Encyclopedic botanique. The principal points by which 

 it differs from Agave are the shape of the stamens and co- 

 rolla, the comparative length of these organs and the form 

 of the style. 



The Furcrosa gigantea is a truly gigantic plant; the 

 scape rising from the bosom of the leaves, which are seven 

 feet long, to the height of above thirty feet, producing nu- 

 merous 



