106 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN. 



is really Furcraea Bedinghausii , a species which also 

 possesses a number of other generic as well as specific 

 synonyms. 



In his synopsis of Aloineae and Yuccoideae, Mr. Baker,* 

 recognizes the Yucca baccata australis of Engelmann, with 

 Y.JiliferasiS a synonym, treating his own periculosa, circin- 

 ata, scabri folia and fragilifolia as separate varieties of Y. 

 baccata, and adding to this species another garden variety, 

 under the name Hystrix, while he places his Y. polyphylla 

 as a synonym under what is here called Y. radiosa. 



Since the publication of the papers referred to, knowl- 

 edge of this tree has increased greatly, and there can no 

 longer be any doubt as to its specific separability from both 

 Y. baccata and Y. marcocarpa (Torrey), and although it 

 is unfortunate that an established name is displaced there- 

 by, there is no reason why the tree should not be designated 

 by the name australis which Dr. Engelmann first applied 

 to it varietally, unless one of Mr. Baker's provisional 

 names, all of which refer to plants still unknown in a 

 wild state and comparable with immature forms of other 

 species, should ultimately prove, contrary to his own 

 opinion, to refer to the same plant, in which case it ante- 

 dates this name of Engelmann. 



Yucca australis, as here understood, forms large forests 

 in the valleys about Monterey, and is especially abundant 

 immediately to the north of that city between Chipinque and 

 Topo Grande, and though there are many breaks, these 

 forests continue in open places along the Mexican National 

 railroad to the vicinity of San Luis Potosi, and even as far 

 south as the vicinity of the city of Mexico some trees occur. 

 On the Mexican Central railroad it is seen, accompanied by 

 Y. Treculeana and Y. rigida in varying quantity, about La 

 Mancha and thence south to about Syinon. For the sake 

 of verification, Parras was visited, and it may be said that 

 Thurber's material certainly represents the tree that is com- 



* Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. 18:229. (1880). 



