DIOSCOREACEiE. 355 



2. AGAVE. /yz>m.— Agave, 



(From the Greek ayavog, admirable ; in allusion to its beautiful appearance.) 



Perianth tubular, 6-cleft. Stamens 6, exserted. Anthers 

 versatile. Capsule ovate, attenuate at each end, obtusely tri- 

 angular, 3 -celled, many-seeded. 



A. Virgin ica Linn. : scape simple ; leaves with cartilaginous serratures ; 

 flowers sessile. 



Rocky Banks. Penn. ? to Car. Sept. %.—Scape 6 feet high. Mowers 

 greenish-yellow, very fragrant. Virginian Agave or False Aloe. 



Order CXXVIII. HYPOXIDACE^.— Star Grasses. 



Perianth petaloid, regular, 6-parted. Stamens 6. Ovary 

 adherent, 3 -celled; style single; stigmas 3, or united. Fruit 

 indehiscent, dry or berried, 1 — 3-celled. Seeds numerous, 

 roundish, with a lateral hilum ; embryo straight in the axis of 

 fleshy albumen. — Herbaceous plants, with i^uberous or fibrous 

 roots. Leaves usually radical, plaited. 



HYPOXIS. Linn.— Star Grass. 



(From the Greek vno, beneath, and o^vs, sharp ; in allusion to the acute base 

 of the capsule.) 



Perianth superior, 6-parted, persistent. Capsule elongated, 

 narrowed at the base, 3-celled, many-seeded. Seeds roundish, 

 naked. 



H. erecta Linn. : hairy ; leaves all radical, linear and grass-like ; scape 

 y — 4-flowered, somewhat umbelled, mostly shorter than the leaves. H. erecta 

 and grariiinea Pursh. H. Caroliniensis Mich. 



Meadows and woods. Can. to Car. W. to Miss. April— June. %..—Root 

 bulbous. Scape 4 — 6 inches high, with the leaves narrow and often double the 

 length. Flowers usually 4, yellow within, greenish and hairy outside. 



Common Star-grass. 



Order CXXIX. DIOSCOREACEJi].— Yams. 



Flowers dioecious. Perianth 6-parted, equal. Stamens 6. 

 Ovary adherent, 3-celled ; styles 3, united below or distinct. 

 Fruit a capsule, often 3 -winged, with two of its cells sometimes 

 abortive. Seeds compressed, sometimes winged ; embryo small, 

 lying in a cavity of the cartilaginous albumen. — Twining herbs 

 or under shrubs. Leaves with reticulated veins. Flowers 

 small, spiked. 



