136 ATKINSON— TWIN HYBRIDS. 



Pycnocarpa Type; Mature Plants. — There were 13 mature or 

 nearly mature plants of this type in the culture. They were approxi- 

 mately lYz m. high (about 130 cm.)- All of the red color, except 

 the sunburn comes from the franciscana parent, as well as the large 

 size of the flowers. The stems are green with a rather strong tinge 

 of red in streaks, but parts exposed to the sun usually become quite 

 red. Red tubercles are present on the stem, branches and ovaries. 

 The lower branches over the base of the stem are 50-60 cm. long. 

 The flowering branches occur from the middle upward. The leaves 

 over the middle portion of the stem are nearly like those of pycno- 

 carpa, long, narrow, furrowed, drooping and strongly serrate on 

 the edges, but the midveins are pink. The foliage is dark green. 

 The calyx buds are 3-3.5 cm. long by 6 mm. broad at the base, 

 slightly tapering from the base to the base of the tips, then abruptly 

 or gradually, and with considerable red color in longitudinal bands. 

 When open, the flower spread is 4.5-5 cm. The petals are obovate, 

 strongly emarginate, pale lemon yellow, 20 mm. long by 25 mm. 

 broad. The stamens overlap and nearly reach the tips of the stig- 

 mas, or do not quite reach the base of the stigmas. The pods are 

 3.5 cm. long by 6-7 mm. broad at the base, tapering gradually and 

 evenly to the apex. 



Franciscana Type: Rosette. — An F^ rosette of the franciscana 

 type is shown in Fig. 5, PI. Ill, left hand, a belated plant of the 

 191 5 culture. The rosettes of the franciscana type are very diffi- 

 cult to distinguish from those of franciscana itself. In fact I do 

 not believe that I could distinguish them. It is clearly distinguished, 

 however, from its twin, the pycnocarpa type of the s'ame cross, at 

 the right hand. Fig. 6, PI. III. The leaves of this rosette are 

 narrower than the mean, for rosette leaves of CE. franciscana, or 

 for this twin hybrid franciscana type, but as this rosette is a belated 

 plant the leaves have not reached their full sizes. 



Franciscana Type: Mature Plants. — There were 153 mature 

 plants of this type in the cross. They measure approximately i m. 

 high (90-120 cm.). The stems are green with occasionally a faint 

 tinge of pink over the older portion. Red tubercles are present on 

 the stem, branches and ovaries. The fruiting spike is 40-50 cm. 

 long, the bracts long, green, persistent, the lower ones up to 9 cm. 



