268 SOUTH AFRICAN FLOWERING PLANTS. 



are in racemes, often brightly coloured. There are 

 upwards of 80 species, natives of dry places. 



The aloes of Africa are imitated by the so-called 

 "American aloe," which is really Aga'vc, a native of 

 Mexico, and belongs to the order Amaryllidcao, but in 

 consequence of growing under similar arid conditions, 

 during the course of many generations, the leaves 

 have acquired precisely the same form and structure 

 as of the true aloes. The use of the thick leaf is to 

 store up water; the whole interior is made of large 

 cells fall of water saturated with a gummy or other sub- 

 stance. From special vessels is extracted, from certain 

 species, the so-called " Bitter Aloes " of the chemists. 

 Fig. 105 (I.) shows a branch of one species. (HI.) 

 is a section of a flower. In this genus the stamens 

 happen to be free from the perianth. (II.) is a diagram 

 showing the relative positions of the parts. 



Aspar'agus (Fig. 106).— This genus is remarkable 

 for producing tufts of, apparently, leaves at the nodes ; 

 but they are thought to be branches in the cultivated 

 plant, and are called claclodcs, from the Greek word for a 

 branch. In some species they are, however, developed 

 into true leaves, but may still be of the nature of 

 flattened branches, caUQd^Jhi/Uocladcs, i.e. "leaf-branch." 



The young edible shoot is called in botanical 

 language a turio. Some species indigenous to South 

 Africa are eaten. One with oval, pointed phylloclades 

 is much used for table decoration. It used to be called 



