238 



The Plant World. 



and less than a foot in length. The plants are thickly crowd- 

 ed in places, and as the upright leaves are sharply pointed 

 an ascent among them is uncomfortable and painful, since 

 the slightest slip on the part of the climber may send a dozen 

 miniature bayonets through the leather of shoes or leggings. 

 Late in May. the inflorescence axis shoots up to the height 



Fig. 1. Agave schottii in Hlooni witli oc-otillo and oal^s. 



of a man, the upper half bearing a golden raceme of flowers 

 \isibie for long distances. 



The yuccas and the sotols {Dasylirioii) form a great 

 central stem several feet in height with a heavy plume of 

 leaves which mav live to a great age. The inflorescence in 



