230 



AGAVE 



AGAVE 



ereenish white, 1 '4 in.; ovary Hask-sliapcd, ^gin., scgiu. 

 ^jn., tubo no;irlv supprcssoii : filainonts very lonji, 

 25^4 in. E. Mex. "G.C. H. 8, p. 74S; III. 47, "p. 201. 



li.M.70'J7. Rcf. Hot. UV.i. 

 ■ — W'itli Ivs. very niimitely 

 (lent iciilato it beeoiiu's var. 

 subdentata, the ilistinet- 

 ne.-i.s of wliich from .1. 

 pruinosn is not clear. Re- 

 ported crossed with .4. 

 micracantha. 



BBB. Lvs. moderalely large, 

 viirimmly fleshy but 

 u .s u a 1 1 y flexible, 

 neither flliferiiiis nor 

 horny-margined, teeth 

 never large: flu. mod- 

 erate, often with re- 

 curved segms. Nearly 

 tnmkkss. 



C. Spine slender and weak. 



30. ilbicans, Jaeobi (.4. 



142. Flowers of Agave attenuata. micriicdntha nlbldior 



.Salm-Dyck. ^4. Oussel- 

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

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

 needle-shajjed, narrowlj- grooved spine and close-set, 

 minute, brown prickles connected by a paper}' margin: 

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

 paired, reddish green, nearly sessile, 1M~132 in; 

 ovary J2-I 'i., segm. 32in., tube J^in.: caps, pris- 

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

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

 curved long black prickles, and fls. 2 ''4 in. long, it is 

 var. cten6phora, Trel. A beautiful form with milk-white 

 median variegation is var. medio-picta, Trel. (,4. mi- 

 cracdnthn picta, A. micracantha variigdla, A. Oussel- 

 ghemiana dlba-picta, A. Ounsclghemidita plcta, and -4. 

 'ilbicans variegdta, Auct.), W'iesner Festschr., pi. 10. 

 Hybrids are reported between tills species and A. 

 maculata and .4. xakipensis. 



31. Celsii, Hook. {A. Cehiana, 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 fid. at 

 top; fls. reddish or yellowish green, 13^-2 in.; ovary 

 and segm. J^in., tube J^in.: caps, small. B.M. 4934. 

 R.H. 1861, p. 33.0. Gn. 12, p. 213.— A hybrid with .4. 

 Salmiana is reported. 



.32. micracantha, .Salm-Dyck (.4. glnucescens. Otto.?). 

 Cespitose; Ivs. broiully lanceolate, .spreading, 3-5 x 1.5-25 

 in., grayi.sh green, with slender weak spine and small, 

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

 short sterile base denselj' bractfd ; fls. brownish green, 

 13^ in.; ovary ]/2~% in., segm. % in., tube \i in. 

 E. Mex.f?;. Ref. Bot. ,327. Gt. 37, i>. 115.— Hybrids are 

 reported with A. Ellemeetiarui, A. Sartnrii, A. Ver- 

 schnffeltii, A. xyloruicantha and A. xylonacanlha micra- 

 carUha. A. jriUix, Salm-Dyck, and .4. rupieola, Regcl, 

 are closely related and A. rhlaracdntha, Salm-Uyck. 

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

 with pale prickles. 



cc. Sjnne moderate but strong, round-grooved. 



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

 ckiapennK, Jaeobi.? A. chitipmnin porrecta, Hort. A. 

 dHixa, Hort.? A. denxi/lora, Hort."! A. multiflora, Hort. 

 A.Ottonin, Jawjbi? A . Salnulyckii, Baker? A.uncindtn, 

 Jaeobi? A .Wolkenxleinii, Hort.?). Cespitose: Ivs. lanceo- 

 late, upcurving, 2-5 x 10-24 or .30 in., soon green, with 

 narrow-grooved strong spine and rather smaii and 

 clfjse-set brown or gray prickles: infl. 4-3 ft.; fls. about 

 2 in.; ovary Jiin., sfjgm. and tube HJn. S. Mex.(?). 



B.M. 500(i. G.W. 2, p. 004. Journ. Soc. Hort. Bas. 

 Rhin. 3, p. 324. (in. 12, p. 31)6. R.H. 9, p. 517. G.C. 

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

 apensis and .4. xytunacanlha and xylonacantha latia- 

 sima and with "Ihisyliriun gracilis;" A. densiflora and 

 ,4. anierirana (xA. massiliensis) ; A. densiflora and 

 -4. gemiiiiflora (x A. Taylori),— G.C. II. 8, p. ()20; .1. 

 densiflora and .4. mitra'formis; A. densiflora and A. 

 Verscha.ffeltii, 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 ^im., 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 groovtxl heavy spine and moderately 

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

 infl. ,5-10 ft.; fls. 2 in.; ovary ?4in., segm. 1 in., tube 

 Min.: caps. ?i'xl}-^ in., slightly constricted at base. 

 E. Mex. Monats.schr. f. Kakteenk. 14, p. 151. R.H. 

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

 xfilifera(xA. Romanii, Hort.), -4. xalapensis xOussel- 

 gheyniana, A. iidapensisx Salmiana, and .4. xalapen- 

 sis x xylonacarUha (x A. Pfersdorffii, Simon). 



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

 large teeth connected by a detachable horny margin: 

 fls. moderate, with sooti erect segms. At most 

 short-trunked. 

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



36. Lecheguilla, Torr. (.4. mullilinedta. Baker. .4. 

 Poselgcri, Salm. A. teirdgona, 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 jirickles joined by a very 

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

 ^-13^ in.; ovary flask-shaped, 3iin., segm. 3-^in., tube 

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

 which the southernmost, from below San Luis Potosi, 

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

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

 or lechuguiUa fiber of New Mex. usually ascribed to .4. 

 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. coerulescens, 

 Salm-Dyck (a hybrid of which with ,4. Victorise Regius- 

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

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

 Koch & Bouch(3, with flatter, more oblong, rather 

 glaucous lvs., 

 which fur- 

 nishes the ixtle 



f Jaumave ; 

 A. Nissdnii, 

 Baker, with 

 thin, yucca- 

 like, glaucous 

 lvs.; A. nigres- /. , 

 cens (,4. tietir- (W' 

 acdntha nigres- 



cens, Hort.), 143. Cross-sections ofleaf of Agave attenuata. 

 with thick, 



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

 sometimes almost or quite unarmed on the margin, 

 when it is the form inermis. 



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



1 J2~''^ X 12-18 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.; 



