AMAEYLLIDACEAE. 77 



conical or triquetrous, slightly recurved, shallowly round-grooved near the base, 

 4-5 by 20-25 mm., not decurrent; prickles exceptionally numerous and 2-4 mm. 

 long, but typically. minute or almost entirely suppressed; inflorescence about (3 m. 

 high, the upper half loosely oblong-paniculate; pedicels 5-10 mm. long; flowers 

 yellowish green, 45-60 mm. long; ovary 20-25 mm. long, shorter than the 

 perianth, soon broadly fusiform; tube urceolate, 15-20 mm. deep; segments 

 6-8 by 15-20 mm., a little shorter than the ovary ; filaments inserted about the 

 upper third of the tube, 40-70 or even 80 mm. long, twice or thrice as long as 

 the segments; capsules, when produced, Avhich is rare, oblong, 20-25 by 60 mm., 

 stipitate and beaked; seeds 7 by 10 mm. Freely bulbiferous. 



Rocky plains, spontaneous after cultivation, Andros, New I'rovidence, Cat Island. 

 Native of Yucatan. Cultivated throughout the archipelago. 



In fields of the cultivated plant many individuals were found with spineless leaf 

 margins, others with very spiny margins, and still others both spiny and spineless 

 margins on the same plant. Sisal. 



3. FURCRAEA Vent. Bull. Soc. Philom. 1: 65. 1793. 



Large succulent plants with tufted basal leaves and tall scapes, the in- 

 florescence terminal, paniculate. Perianth of 6 spreading segments, slightly 

 united at the base. Stamens borne on the bases of the segments ; filaments 

 thickened below the middle; anthers linear-oblong. Ovary 3-celled, with many 

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

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

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

 species, natives of tropical America. Type species: Furcraea cuhensis Vent. 



1. Furcraea macrophylla Baker in Hook. Ic. pJ. 2501. 1899. 



Leaves many, the larger about 2.3 m. long by 18 cm. wide, nearly equally 

 bright green on both sides, shallowly channeled above, rather firm, gradually 

 narrowed to 5 cm. or 7 cm. wide above the expanded base, the lower prickles 

 2-3 mm. long, the upper strongly hooked forward, 2-7 cm. apart, borne on 

 triangular, distant teeth 4-6 mm. high; scape up to 10 m. tall, about 1.5 dm. 

 thick toward the base, its lanceolate bracts broad-based, the lower 3-6 dm. 

 long, ascending, the upper, shorter, widely spreading; panicle branches curved 

 and tortuous when young; flowers white, fading yellowish green; ovoid bulbils 

 2-4 cm. long are freely developed on the panicle in place of flowers. 



PiOadsides and waste grounds. New Providence, Cat Island, Acklin's Island, 

 North and South Caicos : — Bermuda (naturalized). Cuba, .Jamaica. Originally de- 

 scribed from garden specimens, of New Providence, grown at Kew. Mr. Percy 

 Wilson says that the North Caicos plants grow in a forest far from habitations 

 and have all the appearances of being native. Referred by Mrs. Northrop to F. 

 cuhensifi and. doubtfullv bv Drnmmond to F. taululato Tacobi. Drummond (Rep. 

 Mo. Bot. Gard. 18: 43) doubtfully records F. cuboi.sis (.Jacq.) Vent, from East 

 Caicos. Wild Sisal. 



4. ATAMOSCO Adans. Fam. PI. 2: 57, 522. 1763. 



Acaulescent herbs', with coated bulbs and glabrous foliage. Leaves .^asal. 

 narrowly linear, flat or channeled. Scape 1-flowered. Perianth white, red, pink 

 purple or yellow, its tube funnelform, its 6 lobes equal. Stamens 6, equal or 

 nearly so; filaments adnate to the throat of the perianth-tube; anthers versa- 

 tile. Ovary 3-celled; style filiform, 3-lobed at top, or stigma nearly capitate. 

 Ovules numerous, in two rows in each cavity. Capsule 3-celled, subglobose or 

 depressed, more or less 3-lobed, loculicidally 3-valved. Seeds black or nearly 



