288 LEUCOJACEAE 



perianth greenish or tinged with brown ; tube funnelform ; lobes larger than those of the 

 preceding species : filaments adnate to the base of the perianth-tube : capsules depressed, 

 16-18 mm. broad : seeds 8-10 mm. broad. [Agave Virginica var. tigrina Engelm.] 

 In sandy soil, near Bluffton, South Carolina. Also reported from Missouri. Spring. 



3. Manfreda variegata ( Jacobi) Rose. Basal leaves few ; blades mainly lanceolate, 

 3-4 dm. long, green spotted with brown, finely toothed, the teeth obscure, curved upward : 

 stem 9-15 dm. tall, loosely flowered : perianth greenish brown, glaucous, 3-3.8 cm. long ; 

 lobes narrow, about as long as the tube, or somewhat longer : stamens about 5 cm. long, 

 much exserted ; filaments adnate to a point about f or f from the base of the perianth- 

 tube : anthers 8 mm. long : capsules oblong, 15-22 mm. long, cuspidate. 



In dry soil, on prairies, lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas and adjacent Mexico. Spring. HUACO. 



4. Manfreda maculosa (Hook.) Rose. Basal leaves few; blades narrowly lanceo- 

 late, 1.5-3 dm. long, recurved, concave throughout, attenuate, glaucous, generally spotted 

 with dark green or brown ; margins more or less transparent and furnished with small 

 unequal cartilaginous teeth : stem 9-12 dm. tall : spikes 2-3 dm. long, loosely flowered : 

 perianth white to purplish green, 3-5 cm. long ; lobes oblong, 10-18 mm. long, shorter 

 than the tube : stamens slightly exserted ; filaments adnate up to the bases of the perianth- 

 lobes : anthers 9-16 mm. long : capsules oval or globose-oval, 2-2.5 cm. long, slightly 

 pointed. 



In thickets or dry soil, southern Texas. Spring. 



5. AGAVE L. 



Fleshy or partially woody plants, occasionally very tall, with more or less elongated 

 caudices. Leaves crowded on the caudex, persisting for several or many years : blades 

 very thick, armed with spiny teeth, sometimes horny-margined, spine-tipped. Flowers suc- 

 culent, paniculate. Perianth of various colors, withering-persistent : sepals and petals 

 partly united : lobes equal or nearly so. Stamens 6 : filaments more or less adnate to the 

 perianth-tube, flattened or filiform : anthers versatile. Ovary 3-celled : style slender. 

 Ovules numerous, in 2 rows in each cavity. Capsule 3-celled, various in shape, thick- 

 walled. Seeds numerous, black, flattened. The plants flower usually after a long period 

 of growth, some only once, others occasionally. AMERICAN ALOE. CENTURY-PLANT. 



Leaves with repand edges, the teeth prominent. 1. A. Americana. 

 Leaves not repand. the teeth wanting or minute. 



Caulescent : lobes of the perianth longer than the tube. 



Leaves entire or obsoletely toothed. 2. A. sisalana. 



Leaves with many minute teeth. 3. A. decipiens. 



Acaulescent : lobes of the perianth shorter than the tube. 4. A. nef/lecta. 



1. Agave Americana L. Foliage glabrous. Leaves basal ; blades oblanceolate to 

 spatulate, 10-20 dm. long, glaucous, more or less curved ; terminal spine 3.5-5 cm. long, 

 brown ; marginal teeth deltoid-cuspidate, brown, unequal : scape erect, 8-12 m. tall, panic- 

 ulate above : perianth yellowish, 75-90 mm. long, erect or ascending ; lobes yellowish, 

 25-30 mm. long, much longer than the tube : filaments adnate to above the middle of the 

 perianth-tube, twice as long as the perianth-lobes : anthers 1-1.5 cm. long : capsules 5 cm. 

 long. 



In sandy or dry soil, Florida and Texas, naturalized from Central America. 



2. Agave sisalana (Engelm.) Perrine. Foliage glabrous. Leaves mainly basal ; 

 blades 12-18 dm. long, broadest at the middle or above it, thence attenuate, keeled at the 

 more or less narrowed base ; terminal spine reddish brown, terete, 1-2 cm. long, often 

 twisted ; margins entire or sometimes with a few unequal teeth : scape erect, 45-90 dm. tall : 

 panicle 20-45 dm. high, showy : perianth 55-65 mm. long, greenish ; lobes shorter than 

 the tube, obtuse : filaments adnate f the distance from base of the perianth-tube, the free 

 portion 55-60 mm. long : anthers 2 cm. long : capsules about 5 cm. long. 



In sandy soil, peninsular Florida and the Keys. Also in the West Indies and Central America. 



3. Agave decipiens Baker. Foliage glabrous. Leaves mainly basal ; blades spread- 

 ing or recurved at maturity, 10-25 dm. long, constricted and thickened above- the dilated 

 base, broadest about the middle, thence tapering to the apex ; terminal spine 1-1.5 cm. 

 long, brown ; margins uneven, armed with small very close-set often recurved teeth : scape 

 erect, 50-60 dm. tall : panicle 25-30 dm. high, loosely branched : perianth greenish yel- 

 low, about 75 mm. long ; lobes 16-17 mm. long, about twice as long as the funnelform 

 tube : filaments adnate to the middle of the perianth-tube, 33-37 mm. long. 



In sand, peninsular Florida and the Keys. 



