AGAVES FLOWERING IN WASHINGTON. 81 
My specimens from the Garden may be described as 
follows : — 
Leaves about 25, dark green, not banded down the center but with a 
few short, dark lines down the back, 12 inches long, 1 inch or less wide, 
the margin continuous, end spine 4 inch long; peduncle and inflorescence 
8 feet high, pale and glaucous; bracts slender and scarious; ovary glau- 
cous, 6 to 7 lines long; filaments and style reddish, twice as long as the 
short segments of the perianth, the latter 5 to 6 lines long. 
Specimens are in the National Herbarium prepared by J. 
N. Rose, August, 1898 (No. 4073). 
AGAVE WASHINGTONENSIS. 
After this Agave flowered in the spring of 1897 the plant 
was put out in the grounds of the gardens with other 
species where it remained until late in the fall, when it was 
removed to one of the greenhouses, though supposed by 
the gardeners to be dead. During the summer a single 
plantlet developed on the flowering spike and about a half 
dozen capsules matured seed. This seed has been distrib- 
uted to several of the leading Botanical Gardens and about 
50 seedlings are now growing in the propagating house 
here. 
This species has shown no signs of developing stolons. 
After the old plant had been installed for the winter no 
attention was given to it. Some time in March, Mr. Oliver, 
the Assistant Gardener, called my attention to the appear- 
ance of several buds in the axils of the old leaves. When 
I examined the plant I discovered 7 shoots or branches, the 
two longer being 20 and 30 inches long respectively. About 
the first of May these two latter branches (now 3 feet and 
4 feet long respectively ) began to flower and later set seed ; 
two of the other shoots had developed into short spikes but 
were only in bud, while some 4 or 5 other shoots were seen 
in the axils, several producing flowers when only 2 or 3 
inches long. No new leaves have developed on the plant 
since it began to flower in February (?), 1897. 
6 3 
