Narcissales.] 



The flowers of Narcissus 

 Pseudo-Narcissus are not only 

 emetic, but a dangerous poison, 

 occasionally producing serious 

 consequences in infants which 

 are allowed to swallow them. 

 De CandoUe considers the prin- 

 ciple found in Amaryllids ana- 

 logous to that of the Squill 

 (Essai, p. 290). Oporanthus 

 luteus is purgative, Alstrome- 

 ria salsilla diaphoretic and diu- 

 retic, AmarylUs ornata astrin- 

 gent. Agardh Aph. 178. A 

 kind of arrow-root is prepared 

 from the succulent roots of 

 Alstromeria pallida and 



others, in Chile. Bomarea 

 Salsilla is employed as a sub- 

 stitute for Sarsaparilla. Agave 

 Americana, the Amei'ican Aloe, 

 which is said to flower once 

 only in a hundred years, a 

 gardener's fable, forms impe- 

 netrable hedges with its hard 

 and spiny leaves ; its fibre and 

 that of some neighbourmg spe- 

 cies, especially the 

 Pita plant, is ex- 

 tremely tough, and 

 forms excellent 

 cordage ; its root 

 is diuretic and an- 

 tisyphilitic, and is 

 even brought to 

 Europe mixed with 

 Sarsaparilla. "The 

 species of Agave are 

 not alone ornamen- 

 tal as plants and 

 useful as hedges, 

 but are important 

 for their products. 

 The roots, as well 

 as the leaves, con- 

 tain ligneous fibre 

 (pita thread), use- 

 ful for various pur- 

 poses : this is se- 

 parated by bruis- 

 ing and steepmg in 

 water, and after- 

 wards beating. — 

 The Mexicans also 

 made their paper 

 of the fibres of 

 Agave leaves laid 

 in layers. The 

 expressed juice of 

 the leaves evapo- 

 rated, is stated by 

 Long, in his Hist, 

 of Jamaica, to be 

 also useful as a 

 substitute for soap. 



AMARYLLIDACEyE. 



157 



Fig. CVI. 



Fig. CVI. — Agave Americana. 



