304 TRANS. ST. LOUIS ACAD. SCIENCE. 



nor is it scarcely ever spoken of in any descriptions, nor indi- 

 cated in the figures. 



II. Geminiflor.e. 

 Flores e bractearum axillis bini oppositi, dense spicati. 



The species appertaining to this section. 40 or 50 in the books, 

 4 of which belong to our F ora, are usually stouter, sometimes 

 with a short trunk, leaves rarely soft and almost herbaceous, but 

 perhaps always perennial, often tough and sometimes the tough- 

 est in the whole genus ; their margin is most variable, entire, or 

 with small pale cartilaginous teeth, or filamentose, or with stout, 

 horny, brown spines. — Together with the first section they con- 

 stitute the Agavcc spicatce of some authors ; others, who have 

 principally regarded the growth and foliage of cultivated plants, 

 have scattered them in various groups, mixed with the species 

 of the next section. 



* Folia margine serrulato-aspera. 



4. Agave falcata, n. sp.: acaulis ; foliis e basi lata linearibus 

 rectis seu plerumque falcatis rigidissimis supra planis conca- 

 visve (siccatis) dorso carinatis margine serrulato-asperatis apice 

 in spinam fere triangularem supra planiusculam excurrentibus ; 

 scapo et spica bracteis e basi latiore subulato-filiformibus marci- 

 dis deciduis stipato ; ovario lobisque perigonii ovatis erecto-patu- 

 lis eo aaquilongis tubo multo (ter) brevioribus ; staminibus medio 

 tubo vel ultra insertis perigonium fere duplo superantibus : stylo 

 gracili apice trilobo. 



Saltillo, Buena Vista, and apparently all over that northern 

 part of Mexico, abundantly collected by Drs. Wislizenus and 

 Gregg in 1846-4S ; flowering in the latter part of May, and again 

 in July and August, probably at different seasons, as many Mexi- 

 can plants do, stimulated to development by a few rains or even 

 a single heavy one. — As the plant is common in a region often 

 traversed by collectors, it seems strange that it should not have 

 become known and been brought into cultivation long since ; but 

 I can find no description to which I might refer here, unless it be 

 the A. Californi.ca, Hort. Kew, of which I find a notice in Jaco- 

 bi's Agave, App. p. 47 ; but I strongly suspect that this refers to 

 n<> Agave at all. but to Yucca Whipplci. 



