AGAVE 



AGLAONEMA 



239 



52. falcata, Engclm. Lvs. moderately numerous, 

 faloately ascending, o-sided, with slender 3-sided spine: 

 infl. IJ-0 ft.; fls. purplish, 1 in.; ovary ?8'n-i segm. 

 J/4in., tube '2in. N. Mex. — The "guapilla," furnishing 

 an Important part of the ixtle of N. Alex. 



.53. dasylirioides, .Jacobi. Lvs. inod<'rately numerous, 

 outourved-ascending, thin anil flat, ' 2 x 10-12 in., jiale, 

 with flattened brown spine; infl. .5-B ft., recurving; fls. 

 l)-2 in-i ovarv and .segm. 5^in. each, tube J4-/8 in.: 

 caps. slender,"3gxl in. S. Mex. B.M. .5716. G.C. II. 

 8, p. .5.57; III. .5, p. 804. Lyon Hort. 22, p. 365. 

 G.A\'. 10, p. 213. — The more glaucous form is A. deal- 

 bata, Lem. (.4. dasylirioides dcalbata, Baker). A. 

 intrepida, Greenm., of Cent. Mex., is very similar. 



BBBBBBBB. Lvs. Tnther fleshy, long and narrow, unarmed 



or with minule soft prickles. Trunkless. 



c. Fls. moderate, with narrow segm. and slender tube. 



54. yuccsefdlia, DC. {A . Cohiiiaiia, Jacobi. A. spicala, 

 Guss.). L\'s. few, recurved, with min,ute slender spine, 

 concave, 1x24 in., glaucous, the dry edge minutelj- 

 denticulate: infl. 10 ft.; fls. 1'2 in.; ovary and segm. 

 ^in. each, tube }iin.: caps. J-sx^jin. Mex. Redout(5, 

 Lil., pi. 328, 329. B.M. 5213. R.H. 1860, p. 519. 

 Deutsch. Gart. Mag. 1870, 2 pi. Gn. 12, p. 583.— A very 

 similar if distinct plant, from JaUsco, is A. Hotighii, 

 Hort., and another is A. yuccafolia cses]ntdsa, Terr., 

 Primo Contr., pi. 4. 



cc. Fls. rather small, with brmid separated segms. 



55. bracteosa, Wats. Lvs. sigmoidally spreading, 

 .3-sidcd, gray narrowly triangular, 13^^x20 in., spineless, 

 minutely denticulate: infl. 3-5 ft., the scape densely 

 covered b\' narrow outcurved bracts; fls. l]4 i"-- 

 ovary J^in.; segms. %m.., tube nearly suppressed; caps. 

 ysxHin. N. Mex. G.C. II. 18, p. 776. 



The foliowing names occur as being in cult.: .4. Bakeri, Hook. 

 f. Resembles a gigantic ereinurus in habit. Fls. with pale green- 

 ish yellow segms. Mex.(?). Gn. 61, p. 240. — .4. carcharioadnta. 

 .-Mlied to .\. Ghiesbrechtii. Lvs. flatter, narrower and more spiny. 

 — .\. Langlassei, Andr6. General haijitasof Furcrsea Bedinghausei. 

 Infl. about 3 ft. high. Mex. R.H. 1001: 349.— ^. /t«a-uijfs Allied 

 to A. Scolymus. Stemless: lvs. strongly prickly toothed, terminated 

 by astout spine: fls. greenish yellow. — A. Pavolinihna. Stemless: fls. 

 green-yellow. — A. Wdtsonii. Allied to A. horrida. Distinguished by 

 extremely narrow border of the If. Probably Cent. Amer. — A. 

 Weberi. Distinguished by almost complete absence of marginal 

 teeth. Mex. — .4. W^rip/i/u, J. R. Drunim. -'\IIied to A. geminiflora. 

 Haa been cult, under name of A. Taylori. Trunk short: margins of 

 lvs. sharp without teeth or prickles: perianth dark green with 

 cream-white borders. Cent. .\mer. B.M. 8271. 



William Trelease. 

 AGDESTIS (a mythical hermaphrodite monster, the 

 genus being an anomalous one in its order). Phytolac- 

 racesp. Tender climbing shrub from Mex. and Guate- 

 mala. Cult, in Cahf. at one time. A monotypic genus. 



clematidea, Moc. & Sesse. Lvs. alternate, petiolate, 

 cordate: fls. axillary or in terminal, branched, racemose 

 cymes, white, star-shaped; sepals 4; petals 0. — Grows 

 40-50 ft. in one season and is covered in Sept. with 

 masses of small white blossoms in dense racemes; very 

 sweet-scented. The red .sts. come from a tuber which 

 grows half out of the earth, and which is sometimes 100 

 and 1.50 lbs. in weight. These tubers look Uke solid 

 rocks. They are of a gray granite-color. To do its best, 

 this plant requires verj' rich soil and an abundance of 

 moisture. Small offsets appear in quantities around the 

 old tubers and furnish good material for prop. On 

 account of its ill-smelling foUage, the agdestis cannot 

 be recommended for veranda decoration; but it is a 

 fine plant for covering unsightly objects and outhouses; 

 to l)e looked for in extreme South. 



N. Taylor, t 



AGERATUM (Greek, Tiot growing old, first applied 

 to some ev( rl:i.sling). Compdsit^. Garden annuals. 



Florets all tubular, blue (rarely pinkj or white; 

 pappus of separate or united scales; otherwise like 

 Eupatorium. — About 30 species, mostly Trop. Am. 



herbs. Two in cult., with opposite, ovate, stalked and 

 crenate-.serrate lvs. and tassel-like heads in clusters. 

 Mostly loose-growing plants, 1-2 ft. high, but with 

 compact, tlwarf, and variegtited forms. Easily grown 

 from seed in the open or started in house or hot- 

 bed. The}' thrive in anj- garden soil, bloom all summer 

 ;ind, if started late, winter-blooming under glass. 



conyzoides, Linn. In\'olucral scales oblong, abruptly 

 acuminate, sparingly if at all hairy on the back, erose 

 and ciliate; lvs. blunt or I'oundeil at base, rarely heart- 

 shaped. In most warm countries, often weed-like. 



Houstonianum, Mill. (.4. mcrirannm, Simsl. Fig. 

 145. Involucral scales 



lance-linear, attenuate, 

 entire, ciliate, the back 

 finely, densely, andsome- 

 what viscidly hairy: lvs. 

 usually heart-shaped at 

 base: heads slightly 

 larger than in the last. 

 Mex. H.M. 2524.— The 

 bettor sjiecies and more 

 frequent in cult. 



For so-called .4. conspicuuni 

 and A. La.'is€''uirii, see Eupa- 

 tdrium gletrhonophijUnm and 

 E. Lassei'iuxti respectively. 

 B. L. ROBIN.SON. 



AGLAIA (Greek, 

 splendor; from the order 

 and general appearance ) . 

 Meliacese. A genus of 

 more than 100 species 

 of tender trees and 

 shrubs from China, with 

 minute, yellow, fragrant 

 fls., said to be used in 

 perfuming certain teas. 

 Prop, by cuttings. 



odorata, Lour. Ten to 

 20 ft.: lvs. alternate, 5- 

 7 pinnate: fls. in axil- 

 lary, branching panicles. 

 March-May. Wight. 

 Icones. Ind. Or. 2:511. 

 — Cult, sparingly in 

 Calif, and under glass in 

 botanic gardens. 



!V^ 



145. Ageratum Houstonianum, 



( X ; 2) 



kGhkO^'EMK{Greek, bright thread) . Ardcex. Green- 

 house herbs grown for foliage and habit. 



Low plants with an erect st. and basal shoots: lvs. 

 with a long sheathed petiole, the blade usually oblong 

 or oblong-lanceolate, with a thick costa and few lateral 

 nerves: peduncles in clusters, shorter than the petiole: 

 spathe straight, convolute below, open above; spadix 

 sessile or stalked. — About 15 species, of Trop. Asia and 

 Afr., alhed to Arum, Alocasia and Dieffenbachia, and 

 requiring essentially the same treatment as those 

 genera. 



These plants are evergreen, often beautifully varie- 

 gated. Aglaonemas may be divided, or cuttings may be 

 taken from plants that become too tall and weak. In 

 either case the cuttings and divisions should be put 

 into the s;ind-bed previous to potting, to develop new 

 roots. All of the kinds will succeed in fibrous loam 

 enriched wWh rotted manure, with the addition of a 

 moderate ([uantity of leaf-mold, sand, and some crushed 

 charcoal. (G. W. Oliver.) 



pictum, Kunth. Dwarf: lvs. somewhat unequilateral, 

 oblong or elliptic, ovate (4-7 in. long and 2-3 in. wide), 

 verj' dark green, blotched with white, the central mark- 

 ings usually extending the whole length of the midrib: 

 spathe white or whitish, 1-1, '2 in. long. Sumatra. 

 I. H. 29:44.5. 



