80 



AMAEYLLIDACEAE. 



ovules in 2 rows in each cavity; style rather stout, 3-angled and thickened 

 below, tipped by small stigma. Capsule oblong, 3-sided, 3-valved. Seeds 

 numerous, flat. [Dedicated to Antoine Francois de Fourcroy.] About 20 

 species, of tropical America. Type species: Furcraea cubensis (Jacq.) Vent. 



1. Furcraea macrophylla Baker. 



Wild Sisal. (Fig. 106.) Leaves many, 

 the larger about 7° long by 7' wide, 

 nearly equally bright green on both 

 sides, shallowly channeled above, rather 

 firm, gradually narrowed to 2' or 3' 

 wide above the expanded base, the 

 lower prickles V-IY' long, the upper 

 strongly hooked forward, f'-3' apart, 

 borne on triangular distant teeth 2"-3" 

 high; scape up to 30° tall, about 6' 

 thick toward the base, its lanceolate 

 bracts broad-based, the lower l°-2° long, 

 ascending, the upper shorter, widely 

 spreading panicle branches curved and 

 tortuous when young; flowers white, 

 fading yellowish-green, with the odor of 

 wintergreen, at night. [F. gigantea of 

 Jones and Verrill.] 



Abundant in thickets, woodlands and 

 along walls, and a menace to other vegeta- 

 tion. Naturalized. Native of the Baha- 

 mas. Flowers in autumn, the blossoms per- 

 sistent and withering in protected plants 

 up to the middle of December, the in- 

 florescence also bearing hundreds of ovate 

 bulbils, by which the plant is freely propa- 

 gated. Larger, flattened bulbils are some- 

 times produced in the leaf -axils ; these grow 

 into slender shoots 4° or 5° long, which 

 bear flowers the following year. 



Furcraea cubensis (Jacq.) Yent., Cuban, was sent as young plants from 

 the New York Botanical Garden to the Agricultural Station in Paget in 1913, 

 and from the same source to Paget Eectory in 1914. [Agave ciihensis Jacq.] 



Agave americana L., €entury Plant, with bluish green, usually varie- 

 gated spiny leaves, and yellow tubular flowers, presumably native of Mexico, 

 but not known in the wild state, is freely planted for ornament. [A. picta 

 Salm-Dyck.] 



Agave barbadensis Trel., Barbadoes Century Plant, has rather dull 

 green leaves, the largest about 5° long by 6' wide, their dark brown teeth about 

 1" long, the poles up to 15° high and 5' in diameter, were observed growing on 

 cliffs, north shore, east of Bayley's Bay in September, 1912, the colony consist- 

 ing of one dead poled plant, one large plant and many small plants from bulbils 

 of the dead poled one, grown presumably from cultivated specimens thrown out 

 several years before. The plant is commonly grown for ornament and pro- 

 duces bulbils very freely. 



Agave furcroydes Lemaire, Hennequin, Mexican, with narrow spiny- 

 toothed blue-green leaves up to 5° long and 3' or 4' wide, the tall inflorescence 

 mostly modified into bulbils, is commonly planted for ornament and interest. 



Agave sisalana Perrine, Sisal, Mexican, with narrow green leaves mostly 

 unarmed except for the terminal spine, its inflorescence largely modified to 

 bulbils, widely grown in the Bahama Islands, Cuba and Yucatan as an important 

 fibre plant has been planted in the Public Gardens, and at Paynter's Yale. 



