AGAVE. 



195 



3-5 in. broad at the middle, narrowed to 2-3 in. above tlie base, 

 very bright green, the face deeply concave, the subpungent brown 

 end-spine |- in. long, the distant brown deltoid-inicinate marginal 

 prickles l-12th to l-8th in. long. Peduncle 8-10 ft. long ; in- 

 florescence a deltoid panicle, the lower branches 9-12 in. long. 

 Flowers 2-2| in. long ; tube ^ in. long ; segments linear-oblong, 

 bright yellow, f-1 in. long. Stamens less than twice as long as 

 the segments. Capsule oblong, l|-lf in. long. 



Hab. West Indies. First noticed as a cultivated plant by Hermann in 

 1C78. My description is taken from living plants at Kew and Keigate, and of 

 the inflorescence from Dr. Engelmann, whose notes were made on plants 

 collected by Dr. Parry and Mr. C. Wright on San Domingo. It resembles 

 Furcnca cuhetms in leaf and habit. It is often called A. vivipam in English 

 gardens, and is figured under that name in Gard. Chron. 1877, ii. fig. 150. 



125. A. ToDAROi Baker. — Acaulescent. Leaves oblong, 6-7 ft. 

 long, 18 in. broad at the middle, narrowed to 9 in. above the base, 

 bright green, much undulated, the face very concave, the end- 

 spine scarcely pungent, the edge much undulated between the very 

 large deltoid hooked brown marginal prickles. Inflorescence 

 unknown. 



Hab. Probably Mexico. Described from a leaf and photograph sent by 

 Dr. Todaro in January, 188G. It has been cultivated in the Palermo Botanic 

 Gardens under the name of A. inididata. It is a magnificent plant, with the 

 leaves like those of A. soholifera in colour and texture, but with the undulated 

 edge and large teeth of A. Scolytuus and potatorum. 



Group 13. YUCC.EFOLLE. 



126. A. (Littaa) yucc^folia DC. in Bed. Lil. t. 328—829; 

 Hook, in Bot. Mag. t. 5213. A. Cohniana Jacobi. — Shortly 

 caulescent. Leaves 20-40 in a dense rosette, linear, much re- 

 curved, 1^-2^ ft. long, f-1 in. broad at the middle, dilated to H in. 

 at the base, deeply channelled all down the face, a dull rather 

 glaucous green, with a pale band down the centre, the tip not at 

 all pungent, the back broadly rounded, the edge with a narrow 

 brown scariose line, entire or obscurely serrulate. Peduncle 6-8 ft. 

 long, including the short lax spike. Flower 1^ in. long; tube ^in. 

 long ; segments linear-oblong, greenish yellow, t-f in. long. 

 Stamens twice as long as the segments. 



Hab. Mexico. Introduced into cultivation about the beginning of the 

 century. It flowered at Kew in 1829, from a plant brought by Richard 

 Cunningham from Paris, and again in 18(U and 1874, and with Mr. Thomas 

 Hanbury at Mortola in 1887. Tlie flowers are sometimes single and sometimes 

 in pairs, so it connects the subgenera Littaa and Manfreda. 



127. A. [Littfra) spicata Cav. Descr. 454, non DC. — Leaves 

 spreading, ensiform, above 2 ft. long, nearly 3 in. broad at the base 

 where it is widest, channelled down the face, serrulate on the 

 margin. Peduncle 15 ft. long, including the 6 ft. spike. Perianth 

 greenish yellow ; tube short ; segments linear-oblong. Stamens 

 twice as long as the segments. 



Hab. Described by Cavanilles in 1802, from a plant that flowered in the 

 Madrid Botanic Garden, brought from Havana. No other botanist seems to 

 have seen it. 



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