322 



longi, tenues. Spathae herbaceae, exterior 2-5 cm. longa, interior 

 fere duplo longior. Perianthium 5 cm. diam.; segmenta exteriora 

 interioribus triplo longiora, obovato-cuneata, obtusa, 3 cm. lata, 

 violacea, iutus ad mediam albo-costata, unguis maculo cordato 

 albo coeruleo-marginato instructa ; interiora e basi oblonga 

 lanceolata, acuta, violacea, basi brnnneo-maculata. Antherae 

 obscure virides. Stylus carneus, ramis acutis. 



Uruguay. Monte Video, Cantera. 



Described from a plant which flowered at Kew in May, 1907, 

 having been raised from seeds collected and sent by Dr. Cantera 

 in 1903. The three heart-shaped areas edged with blue at the 

 base of the outer perianth -segments are very characteristic. 



440. Agave (Littaea) Watsoni, J. R. Drummond et C. H. 

 Wright [Amaryllidaceae-Agaveae] ; ab A. horrida, Lemaire, et ei 

 affinibus propter foliorum vittam marginalem attenuatam infra 

 prope obsoletam primo visu distinguitur ; ab A densiflora, 

 Hook., foliorum aculeis marginalibus remotis facile dignoscenda 

 est; differt vero ab A. expatriata, J. N. Rose in Rep. Miss. 

 Bot. Gard. xi. (1900), 82, cui omnino vicina, scapo breviore spica 

 minus elongata, latiore, foliis rigidis, versus basin facie superiore 

 convexa, aculeis marginalibus parum uncinatis. 



Folia 15-20, rigida, exteriora patentia, paullum recurvata, 



anguste oblongo-lanceolata, circa 50 cm. longa, e basi ad 9'5 cm. 



dilatata, 8 mm. densa, in collum 5-5 cm. latum mox constricta, 



inde ad circa 22 cm. supra basin, quo 7*5 cm. latitudinis attingunt, 



gradatim expansa, facie superiore versus basin convexa ; sursum 



explanata, denique leviter concavata ; interiora autem erecta. 



angusta, in bracteas sensim abcedentia. Foliorum margines vitta 



tenuissima castanea, in senectis cinerascente, ornati, aculeis e basi 



compressa deltoidea argute acuminatis, rectis vel parum uncinatis, 



circiter 5 mm. longis, inter se circa 2 cm. distantibus, minuti, at 



sub folii apicem nonnihil involuti, cornei, in spinam terminalem, 



e cervice arcta subito exortam, argutissime canaliculatam circa 



1-8 cm. longam, confluentes. Scopus ad basin 3*5 cm., sub spicam 



inflorescentem 2 cm. diametro, altitudine vix 3-orgyalis, 



cylindricus, bracteis, praeter infimas, patentibus, subtiliter sulcatis, 



albidis, instructus ; bracteae inter alabastra inconspicuae, vix 1 cm. 



longae infra pedetentim ampliatae, e basi deltoidea herbacea, 



circa 4 mm. lata, arete constrictae, et in setam firmam, subulatam, 



scanosam mox conduplicatae, circum imam basin, tamen, pedunculi 



multo majores, ad 30 cm. longae, subfoliaceae, marcescentes, 



erectae. Flores in fasciculis bini, rarius terni, et tunc uno flore, 



saltern, saepius duobus abortivis, in pedicellos valde abbreviatos, 



incrassatos, doliiformes, binis bracteolis minutis, infra dilatatis 



herbaceis, sursum scariosis argute acuminatis, amplexos, insidentes, 



spicam fusiformem, diametro circa 9-5 cm. staminibus ]>rom- 



mentibus quasi crinitam formantes. Germen longitudine 13-14 



mm., latitudme 5 mm. attingens, laeve vel (oculo armato) obscure 



puberulum, viridescens, subtriquetrum ; tubus diametro circa 



4 mm. subito constrictus, manifeste (i-sulcatus ; lobi perianthii 



(nore maturo) carnosiusculi, dorso subhorbaceo, oris minus in- 



crassatis albido-pellucidis, apice cucullato penicillato, germen 



longitudine subaequantes. AntJierar 1 cm. longae, cum filamentis, 



