DIOSCOREACE.E. 355 



2. AGAVE. Linn. Agave. 



(From the Greek ayauo?, 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. Virginica Linn. : scape simple; leaves with cartilaginous serratures; 

 flowers sessile. 



Rocky Banks. Penn. ? to Car. Sept. 1\.. Sca^ 6 feet high. Flowers 

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



ORDER CXXVIII. HYPOXIDACE^E. 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 tuberous or fibrous 

 roots. Leaves usually radical, plaited. 



HYPOXIS. Linn. Star Grass. 



(From the Greek viro, beneath, and o,"t>?, 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. ereda Linn. : hairy ; leaves all radical, linear and grass- like ; scape 

 3 4-flowered, somewhat umbelled, mostly shorter than the leaves. H. erecta 

 and graminea Pursh. H. Caroliniensia Mich. 



Meadows and woods. Can. to Car. W. to Miss. April June. Q. 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. DIOSCOREACE^. 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. 



