5() MISSOURI BOTANICAL, GARDEN. 



(1873). _ Watson, Proc. Amer. Acad. 14 : 254. Baker, Journ. Linn.. 

 Soc. Bot. 18 : 228. Garden. 58 : 447. /. 



1'. filamentosa puberula Baker, Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. 18:228. (1880). 



Y.fllamentosa Gattinger, Tenn. Flora. (1887). 58. (1901). 86. Mohr, 

 Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 6 : 441, as to northern localities. Garden. 

 68 : 445. /. Park and Cemetery. 11 : 184. /. 



r. Meldensis Garden. 8 : 147. (1875). 



Acaulescent, cespitose. Leaves thin, flexible, the outer almost 

 always recurved, 10 to 40 mm. wide, elongated lanceolate, very 

 gradually long attenuate, mostly plicate, with fine long and rather 

 straight thin marginal fibers except in two threadless garden forms. 

 Panicle mostly pubescent. Maturing capsule dull grayish-green, the 

 carpels variously and irregularly flattened in places, as if shaved off with 

 a knife ; when ripe, broad, usually constricted, and mostly flaring above : 

 seeds rather dull, larger, 7 to 8 X 8 to 10 mm. Plates 12-1 7. 76. 79. 



Asheville, N. C., to Gadsden and Anniston, Ala., in and 

 near the mountains. Plate 87, f. 2. 



Occasional simple racemes are produced from small 

 lateral crowns, when the main crown is in bloom (Plate 

 13), as has been observed on some species of Agave, and 

 one depauperate garden form produces an unbranched main 

 inflorescence. 



An interesting winter adaptation of the foliage of this spe- 

 cies is readily observed in the North whenever the tempera- 

 ture remains for any time below the freezing point, for at 

 and below this temperature the spreading unflexed middle 

 leaves, which are ordinarily somewhat concave, have their 

 margins rolled inwards so as nearly or quite to meet at 

 the center, though they scarcely become involute in the 

 proper meaning of that word. (Plate 14). 



The numerous intergrading garden forms of Y. flaccida 

 seem capable of most natural arrangement as follows : 



Petals broad, acute or acuminate. Panicle mostly pubescent. T. flaccida. 

 Inflorescence a raceme. f. orchioides. 



Petals usually more lanceolate, attenuate. 

 Leaves flliferous. 



Panicle very pubescent. var. glaucescens. 



Leaves transiently variegated. f . lineata. 



