620 



FURCR^A 



except that the Furcrseas are given more heat and water. 

 F.gigantea has a very pretty variegated form, which 

 makes a useful pot-plant. 



As a rule, Furcrseas bear fruit not more than once, and 

 then die without producing suckers. However, they 

 produce while iu flower an immense number of bulbels, 

 which may be used for propagation. It is impossible to 

 say at what size or age the plants will bloom. Grown 

 in pots, they may take a century. On the other hand, 

 plants from bulbels have been known to flower at 3 years. 



t" '/ 



Ml 



885. Funkia ovata. (See page 619.) 



A. Texture of It'x. firm : spines usually present, deltoid: 



no minute teeth on margin. (Furcroea proper.) 



B. Trunk 3-4 ft. long: spines ahsent. 



giganWa, Vent. Lvs. 4-6 ft. long, 4-6 in. broad at 



middle, 2J^-3 in. above base, usually without marginal 



spines, rarely witii a few near the base: peduncle 20—40 



ft. long: odor of fls. strong. Trop. Amer. Naturalized 



in Mauritius, Madagascar, India. B.M.2250. G.C. III. 



23:227. R.H. 1857, pp. 206, 207. Var. variegata, Hort., 



has variegated lvs. 



BB. Trunk none or short : spines present. 



c. Length of lvs. 12 ft. or more. 



altlssima, Todaro. A recent and little known species 



named at Palermo, Italy. Francesohi writes that it has 



hardly any trunk : lvs. bright green, with very few 



spines, 12 ft long or more, erect, not drooping. It is 

 tenderer than the other kinds. 



cc. Lenijth of Irs. 5-6 ft. 

 ^legans, Todaro. Lvs. 4-5 in. broad at middle, 3 in. 

 above base, rough on the back ; prickles large : pedun- 

 cle 20-25 ft. long. Mex. 



ccc. Length of lvs. S-S ft. 

 D. Prickles usually large-sized. 

 E. Panicle reaching 10-12 ft.; branches slightly 

 compound. 

 Cubftnsis, Haw. Lvs. 3-4 in. broad above middle, IK 

 in. above base, the tip convolute; prickles large, dis- 

 tant, hooked: peduncle 5-6 ft. long. Odor of fls. faint. 

 This and P. gigantea are widely spread in trop. Amer. 

 and often cult, in the Old Worid. They are the oldest 

 in cult. All the rest are rare. \'ar. in^Tmis, Baker, is 

 spineless. B.M.6543. P. Lindeni, Jacobi, has varie- 

 gated lvs. I.H.21:186. 



EE. Panicle reaching SO ft.; branches copiously 



compound. 



tuberosa, Ait. Lvs. a trifle longer and narrower than 



in P. Culjensis. 2-3 iu. broad: fls. sweet scented. Int. by 



Franceschi, 1900. 



DD. Prickles middle-sized. 



puh6scenB, Todaro. Baker does not say that the lvs. 

 are not convolute at the tip, nor does he distinguish the 

 lvs. from those of P. Cubensis, except in the smaller- 

 sized prickles. It is presumably the only species in 

 FurcraBa proper with a pubescent ovary. Peduncle 

 scarcely longer than the lvs. : panicle 5 times as long as 

 the peduncle ; branches copiously compound. Trop. 

 Amer. B.M. 7250. 



AA. Texture of lvs. flexible and wary : spines absent: 



minute teeth on margin. {Subgenus Bcezlia.) 



B. Trunk 5-6 ft. high: lvs. glaucous. 



Bedinghausii, K. Koch {P. Rofslii, Andr^. Yucca 

 Parmentieri, Koezl. Pwzlia regia, Hort.). Lvs. 3-4 

 ft. long. ;i^ in. broad at middle, 1 in. above base, 

 permanently glaucous on both sides, very rough on the 

 back: inflor. 15-20 ft. high. Mex. R.B. 1803, p. 327; 

 1883, p. 133(full history). R.H. 1887, p. 353 ; 1895. pp. 

 468, 469. B.M. 7170. Gn. 52, p. 197. G.C. III. 9:489. 



BB. Trunk finally 40-CO ft. high: lvs. not glaucous. 



longaeva, Karw. & Zucc. Lvs. 4-5 ft. long, 4-5 in. 

 broad, narrowed to 2 in. above base, the roughness on 

 the back only on the keel: inflorescence 40 ft. long. 

 Mex. B.M. 5519. G.C. II. 10:6.53. 



F. Franceschi, G. W. Ol^^er and W. M. 



FURZE. (7fj-, particularly C. Europwus. 



