236 



AGAVE 



AGAVE 



greenish white, 1^ in.; ovary flask-shaped, 9^in., segm. 

 J^in., tube nearly suppressed; filaments very long, 

 2H in. E. Mex. G.C. II. 8, p. 748; III. 47, p. 201. 



B.M. 7027. Ref. Bot. 163. 

 With Ivs. very minutely 

 denticulate it becomes var. 

 subdentata, the distinct- 

 ness of which from A. 

 pruinosa is not clear. Re- 

 ported crossed with A. 

 microcanlha. 



BBB. Lvs. moderately large, 

 variously fleshy but 

 usually flexible, 

 neither filiferous nor 

 horny-marffined, teeth 

 never large: fls. mod- 

 erate, often with re- 

 curved segms. Nearly 

 trunkless. 



c. Spine slender and weak. 

 30. albicans, Jacobi (A. 

 142. FlowersTf Agave attenuate micracdnlha albidior 



Salm-Dyck. A. Oussel- 



ghemiana, Jacobi). Trunkless, cespitose: Ivs. oblanceo- 

 late, 4 x 12-15 in., spreading, glaucous, thin, with small, 

 needle-shaped, narrowly grooved spine and close-set, 

 minute, brown prickles connected by a papery margin: 

 infl. scarcely 3 ft., rather few-fld. above the middle; fls. 

 paired, reddish green, nearly sessile, 1^-1}^ > 

 ovary J^-l in., segm. Min., tube J^in.: caps, pris- 

 matic-ovoid, small. Mex.(?). B.M. 7207. Bull. Soc. 

 Tosc. Ort. 3, p. 303. Lyon Hort. 22, p. 363. jWith re- 

 curved long black prickles, and fls. 2% in. long, it is 

 var. ctenophora, Trel. A beautiful form with milk-white 

 median variegation is var. medio-picta, Trel. (A. mi- 

 cracdntha picta, A. micracdntha variegata, A. Oussel- 

 ghemiana dlba-picla, A. Ousselghemiana picta, and A. 

 dlbicans variegata, Auct.), Wiesner Festschr., pi. 10. 

 Hybrids are reported between this species and A. 

 maculata and A. xalapensis. 



31. Celsii, Hook. (A. Celsidma, Koch. A. densiflbra 

 glaucophylla, Hort.?). Lvs. broadly oblong, 4x12-18 

 in. or more, glaucous, with slender weak spine and very 

 irregular close-set, often multiple, prickles, fleshy 

 except at the very tip: infl. about 4 ft., densely fld. at 

 top; fls. reddish or yellowish green, l}^-2 in.; ovary 

 and segm. %in., tube Kin.: caps, small. B.M. 4934. 

 R.H. 1861, p. 335. Gn. 12, p. 213. A hybrid with A. 

 Salmiana is reported. 



32. micracantha, Sahn-Dyck (A. glaucescens, Otto.?). 

 Cespitose: Ivs. broadly lanceolate, spreading, 3-5 x 15-25 

 in., grayish green, with slender weak spine and small, 

 close-set, dark prickles: infl. about 10 ft., the rather 

 short sterile base densely bracted; fls. brownish green, 

 1^4 in-! ovary }/y-% in., segm. ^ in., tube % in. 

 E. Mex.(?). Ref. Bot. 327. Gt.37, p. 115 Hybrids are 

 reported with A. Ellemeetiana, A. Sartorii, A. Ver- 

 schaffellii, A. xylonacantha and A. xylonacantha micra- 

 cantha. A. nAtis, Sahn-Dyck, and A. rupicola, Regel, 

 are closely related and A. chloracdntha, Salm-Dyck. 

 (A. caribsea, Hort.), differs chiefly in its greener Ivs., 

 with pale prickles. 



cc. Spine moderate but strong, round-grooved. 



33. polyacantha, Haw. (A. dbortlva, Terr.? A. 

 chiapensis, Jacobi.? A. chiapensis porrecta, Hort. A. 

 densa, Hort.? A. densiflbra, Hort.? A. multiflora, Hort. 

 A.Ottbnis, Jacobi? A.Salmdyckii, Baker? A.uncinata, 

 Jacobi? A.WolkenstAnii, Hort.?). Cespitose: Ivs. lanceo- 

 late, upcurving, 2-5 x 10-24 or 36 in., soon green, with 

 narrow-grooved strong spine and rather small and 

 close-set brown or gray prickles: infl. 4^-5 ft.; fls. about 

 2 in.; ovary ?^in., segm. and tube %in. S. Mex.(?). 



B.M. 5006. G.W. 2, p. 604. Journ. Soc. Hort. Baa. 

 Rhin. 3, p. 324. Gn. 12, p. 396. R.H. 9, p. 517. G.C. 

 II. 3, p. 502. Hybrids are reported between A. chi- 

 apensis and A. xylonacantha and xylonacantha latis- 

 sima and with "Dasylirion gracilis'," A. densiflora and 

 A. americana (xA. massiliensis) ; A. densiflora and 

 A. geminiflora (x A. Taylori), G.C. II. 8, p. 620; A. 

 densiflora and A. mitrseformis; A. densiflora and A. 

 Verschaffeltii, and A. densiflora and A. xylonacantha. 



ccc. Spine stout, openly grooved. 



34. Botterii, Baker. Lvs. oblanceolate, outcurved- 

 ascending, 6-8 x 24-30 in., green, with flat-grooved 

 strong spine and short, broad, blackish close-set prick- 

 les: infl. scarcely 5 ft.; fls. reddish or yellowish green, 2 

 in.; ovary %in., segm. and tube 5^in. each. Mex.(?). 

 B.M. 6248. G.C. II. 8, p. 264. 



35. xalapensis, Roezl. Lvs. lanceolate, spreading, 

 2-5 x 10-30 in., nearly green to decidedly glaucous, 

 with very openly grooved heavy spine and moderately 

 long, heavy, rather close-set red to blackish prickles: 

 infl. 5-10 ft.; fls. 2 in.; ovary %in., segm. 1 in., tube 

 %in.: caps. MxlJ^ in., slightly constricted at base. 

 E. Mex. Monatsschr. f. Kakteenk. 14, p. 151. R.H. 

 1875, p. 276. Reported hybrids are A. xalapensis 

 X filifera (x A. Romanii, Hort.), A. xalapensis x Oussel- 

 ghemiana, A. xalapensis x Salmiana, and A. xalapen- 

 sis x xylonacantha (x A. Pfersd6rffii, Simon). 



BBBB. Lvs. fibrous and often rigid, the sometimes very 

 large teeth connected by a detachable horny margin: 

 fls. moderate, with soon erect segms. At most 

 short-trunked. 

 c. Teethrather small: Ivs. elongated, rather thin but stiff. 



36. Lecheguilla, Torr. (A. multilineata, Baker. A. 

 Poselgeri, Sahn. A. telrdgona, Hort.). Lvs. triangular- 

 oblong, concave, falcately ascending, 1 x 16-24 in., 

 green or bluish but not glaucous, pale-banded ventrally 

 and dark-lined on the back, with flattened gray-brown 

 spine and recurved slender prickles joined by a very 

 narrow straight margin: inn. 3-12 ft., glaucous; fls. 

 %-lK in.; ovary flask-shaped, ^in., segm. ]^\n., tube 

 ^in. W. Texas and southward, in a number of forms of 

 which the southernmost, from below San Luis Potosi, 

 with broader Ivs. and heavier prickles, is A. me- 

 sotillo, Hort. It furnishes the greater part of the ixtle 

 or lechuguilla fiber of New Mex. usually ascribed to A. 

 heteracantha. Pop. Sci. Monthly 70, p. 223. Bot. Bound. 

 1, pi. 34, 39. Rep. Mo. Bot. Card. 7, pi. 31; 13. pi. 

 42. Bull. Univ. Texas 60, pi. 3, 6. Closely allied forms, 

 frequent in European gardens, are A. ccerulescens, 

 Sahn-Dyck (a hybrid of which with A. Victoria Regime 

 is reported), differing chiefly in being very glaucous, and 

 its var. stenophylla with Ivs. over 4 ft. long; A. Funkiana, 

 Koch & Bouche 1 , with flatter, more oblong, rather 

 glaucous Ivs., 



which fur- 

 nishes the ixtle 

 of Jaumave; 

 A. Nissonii, 

 Baker, with 

 thin, yucca- 

 like, glaucous 

 Ivs. ; A. nigres- 

 cens (A. heter- 

 acdntha nigres- 

 cens, Hort.), 

 with thick, 



143. Cross-sections of leaf of Agave attcnuata. 



dark blue-green, long-triangular, often undulate Ivs., 

 sometimes almost or quite unarmed on the margin, 

 when it is the form inermis. 



37. lophantha, Schiede. Lvs. lanceolate, spreading, 

 1^-2x12-18 in., green, glossy, with openly grooved 

 brown spine and variously hooked rather small prickles 

 joined by a narrow, nearly straight margin : infl. 9-15 ft. ; 



