468 AMARYLLIDACEiE. (aMAUYLLIS FAMILY.) 



3. CniNUM, L. 



Tube of the perianth crowulcss at the apex. Otherwise like raricratium both 

 in character and iiubit. 



1. C. Americanum, L. Leaves strap-shaped, concave, obtuse, remotely 

 denticulate, sprcadinj; ; scape compressed, with rounded edges, 2 - 4-flo\vered ; 

 bracts lanceolate recurved ; ovaries sessile, with a linear bractlct at the base of 

 each; flowei-s large, fragrant; leaves of tlie jjerianth white, lanceolate, shorter 

 than tlie green tube ; filaments and style purple above ; stigma truncate, entire ; 

 ovules 3 in each cell, erect; capsule globose, membranaceous, indehiscent; 1-6- 

 seeded, pointed with the long persistent tube of the perianth ; seed large, corm- 

 likc ; embryo oblong, in the axis of copious fleshy albumen ; radicle inferior. — 

 River-swamps, Florida, and westward. May -Sept. Scape 1°- 2° high. Peri- 

 anth 6' -8' long. 



4. AGAVE, L. 



Perianth corolla-like, funnel-shaped, 6-partcd, persistent. Stamens exsertcd : 

 anthers linear, versatile. Style filiform, exsertcd : stigma 3-angicd or 3-lobed. 

 Capsule coriaceous, 3-lobed, 3-celled, loculicidaily 3-valvcd, many-seeded. Seeds 

 flat, black and shining, attached to the central placentiu. — Scape bracted. 

 Leaves fleshy, spiny or cartilaginous on the margins. Flowers in simple or 

 panicled spikes, bracted. 



1. A. Virginica, L. Leaves lanceolate, thick and rigid, spine-pointed, 

 denticulate on the margins ; scape simjjle, smooth ; flowers small, yellowish, 

 scattered in a simple spike ; perianth strongly nerved ; filaments and style spotted. 

 — Sterile soil, Florida, and northward. July. — Scape 3°-5° high. Leaves 

 6' -12' long. Capsule globose, 3-lobed. 



5. HYPOXYS, L. Star-gkass. 



Perianth G-partcd, persistent, tlic spreading divisions colored within. Stamens 

 short, unequal : anthers erect. Ovary 3-celled, with the numerous amphitropous 

 ovules attached to the central placentas in two rows. Style short and thick : 

 stigmas 3. Capsule top-shaped, many-seeded, opening transversely near the 

 summit, the upper portion, with the withered perianth, falling otl' like a lid 

 Seeds globular, with a beak-like projection near the base. Ivadicle inferior — 

 Low pubescent herbs, from a tuberous root, with grass-like leaves, and a naked 

 scape, bearing the few yellow flowers in a terminal bracted uml)el. 



1. H. erecta, L. Hairy; leaves linear, cliannclled ; scapes 1 -4, filiform, 

 2-4-fl()wercd ; bracts subulate, much shorter than the slender un((|iial pedicels ; 

 ilivisions of the ])erianth oblong, greenish and hairy without, yellow witlim; cap 

 sale 8-celled. — Varies, with the more rigid leaves nearly smooth, the 2-3-flow- 

 crcd scape flattened, and the bristle-like bracts longer than the nearly sessdo 

 almost woolly perianth. — Low ground, Florida, and northward March and 

 April. — Scapes 2' -9' long. Leaves at length much longer than tlie scapo. 

 Flowers 6" wide. 



