PREFACE. 7 



at earlier periods at Kew. But the numbers enumerated 

 in the present list are: — Hcemodoracew, 28; Iridece, 

 221 ; Amaryllidece, 488; Liliacece, 512 ; making a total 

 of 1249. 



Aloes, Yuccas, and Agaves. 



Aloe (to which may be added Haworthia) and Yucca 

 (" Adam's-needle ") belong to the order Liliacece, Agave 

 to Amaryllidaceoe. In habit they have all many points 

 of resemblance, and the majority flourish under similar 

 cultural conditions. Hence Agave, though it has no 

 near botanical afiinity with Aloe, is often called the 

 " American Aloe." The bulk of the Kew collection is 

 to be found in the Succulent House (No. V.). Aloe and 

 Haworthia are confined to the African region, Yucca 

 and Agave are exclusively American. Of the group 

 of AloinecB nine species are recorded by Hill as 

 grown at Kew in 1768, and 29 by Aiton in 1814. 

 The collection was greatly enriched by the mission 

 of James Bowie to South Africa in 1817-23, and a 

 large number of species were introduced which were 

 described by Haworth ; few of these have probably been 

 lost since that time. The collection was largely en- 

 riched in 1889 by purchases from the celebrated 

 collection of the late John T. Peacock, Esq., of Sudbury 

 House, Hammersmith. A selection from his extensive 

 collection of succulents had been temporarily exhibited 

 in the South Octagon of the Temperate House from 

 1878-81 {Kew Report, 1878, p. 6). Appendix II. of 

 the Keiu Report for 1880 gave a catalogue of the 

 Aloinece, Yitccoidece, and Agaves cultivated in the Royal 



