AGAVE 



AGAVE 



latii, 39 ; maculosa, 38 ; Mexicana, 2 ; micracantha, 33 ; 

 mitis, 33; mitrceformis, 5; Nissoni, 25; potatorum, 11; 

 Fotosina, 41; Pringlei, 4; recurva, 34; JRichardsii, 34; 

 rigida, 3; rigidissima,28', Salmiana, 5; schidigera, 14; 

 Scolymus, 11; Schottii, 18; Shawii, 9; Sisalana, 3; stri- 

 ata, 34 ; stricta, 34 ; Taylori, 17 ; Thuacanensis, 5 ; uni- 

 vittata,21; Utahensis, 12; vestita, 15; Victoriee-Reginse, 

 24; Virginica, 37; xylonacantha, 27; yuccsefolia, 35. 



A. foliage persisting from year to year: inflorescence 



dense, many-fid.: plants flowering after a more 

 or less long interval, often but once, in others 

 occasionally. 



B. Infloresence a compact panicle; fls . borne in clusters 

 near the ends of horizontal branches. (Euagave.) 



1. Americana, Linn. COMMON CENTURY PLANT. Figs. 

 45, 46. Plants becoming very large : Ivs. 40-50, either 

 straight or the tips recurved ; the margin scalloped be- 

 tween the sharp teeth: fl. 3 in. long, yellow. The most 

 common species in cult. A.F. 7:503. Gn. 12, p. 397. 

 G.C. III. 19:17. Gn.47,p. 59. F.E.10:595. Trop. Amer. 

 Several varieties, of which var. picta, var. variegata (B. 

 M. 3654) and var. recurvata are the best known. Some 

 forms have Ivs. striped, and others bordered with yellow. 

 This species is the one which is commonly grown as a tub 

 plant by florists, being used out-of-doors in the summer 

 for lawn and porch decoration. 



2. Mexicana, Lam. Plants becoming very large : Ivs. 

 20-30 ; similar to A. Americana. Common in Eu. Int. 

 about 1817, from Mex. G.C. II. 19:149. 



3. rigida, Miller. St. wanting or sometimes 4 ft. long: 

 Ivs. thin, narrow, elongated; the margin either smooth 

 or toothed. S. Mex. Perhaps more than one species in- 

 cluded under this name. A. angustifolia, Haw., seems 

 to belong here. B.M. 5893, as A. ixtlioides. Gng. 5: 89. 



Var. elongata, Baker (A. Candelabrum, Todaro). St. 

 much elongated. 



Var. Sisalana, Engelm. SISAL HEMP. Margin of the 

 Ivs. entire. Yucatan. Naturalized on Fla. keys. Rec- 

 ommended for cult, on a large scale in certain cheap 

 lands of Fla. Largely grown in Yucatan as a fiber plant, 

 the fiber being exported to U. S. and used in making 

 cheap cordage. 



4. Pringlei, Engelm. Lvs. sword-like, very stiff, 18 

 in. or less long, narrowed from near the base to the 

 sharp tip, the margin with small, hooked, brown prick- 

 les: fl. l%in. long, yellow. Lower Calif. 



5. atrdvirens, Karw.( A. Thuaca ntnsis, Karw. A.Sal- 

 miana, Otto). Often attaining a great size: Ivs. few, 

 10-30, becoming 9 in. broad and 7-9 ft. long very thick 

 at base and glaucous throughout, tipped With a stout 

 spine; the upper part of the margin horny: fl. 4 in. 

 long Mex. G.C. II. 8:177. Several species have passed 

 under this name. 



Var. latissima (A. latissima, coarctdta. Lehmanni, 

 and mitrcefdrmis , Jacobi). Lvs. broader, oblong-spatu- 

 late (8-9 in. broad above the middle). 



6. cochlearis, Jacobi. PULQUE PLANT of W. Mex. 

 Very similar to the above, but Ivs. longer and a foot 

 wide, not glaucous. Int. about 1867, but rare in col- 

 lections. 



7. applanata, Lena. Stemless : Ivs. sometimes 150, 

 3-3 %in. broad, stiff and glaucous, with long, pungent 

 end spine: fl. 3 in. long, greenish yellow. A beautiful 

 species from Mex. Int. about 1862. 



8. macracantha, Zucc. Small, stemless, compact: Ivs. 

 about 50, a foot long, very stiff and pungent, glaucous : 

 fls. in a lax raceme. Int. about 1830, from central Mex. 

 G.C. II. 8:137. 



9. Shawii, Engelm. Stemless : Ivs. 50-60 or even 

 more, oblong-spatulate, 8-10 in. long, dull green and 

 slightly glaucous, with a brown tip-spine an inch long, 

 the edge with upturned brown teeth %in. or less long: 

 fls. 3-3%in. long, greenish yellow. S. Cal. Int. about 

 1875. 



10 Deserti, Engelm. Stemless : Ivs. few, in a rosette, 

 oblanceolate, a foot or less long, deep concave above, 

 very glaucous, tip-spined, the lower half of the blade 

 with hooked prickles : fl. yellow, 2 in. or less long. S. 

 Cal. Int. about 1875. 



11. Sc61ymus, Karw. Lvs. 20-40, 9-18 in. long. 3-6 in. 

 wide, glaucous; the margin indented between the teeth: 

 fl. 2-3 in. long, yellowish. Mex. Gn. 12, p. 397. Int. 

 about 1880. Said to be common, with several varieties. 

 A. potatdrum, Zucc., may be only a form of the above. 



12. Utahensis, Engelm. Stemless : Ivs. sword-like, 1 

 ft. or less long, thick and rigid, the sharp tip-spine an 

 inch long, the margin with triangular teeth, glaucous : 

 fl. an inch long. Utah and Ariz. 



BB. Inflorescence a dense, cylindrical spike; fls. usu- 

 ally borne in twos. (Littcea.) 

 c. Margins of Ivs. not toothed. 



D. Lvs. linear, stiff, smooth, with the margins splitting 

 off into fine threads. 



13. filifera, Salm-Dyck. Plant small, compact, about 



1 ft. in diam. : Ivs. about 100, linear, stiff, 9 or 10 in. in 

 diam., light green in color, with a very pungent tip: fl. 



2 in. long, brownish : stalk 5-8 ft. long. Mex. G.C. III. 



21: 167. I.H. 7: 243.- 

 Several species are often 

 found in collections un- 

 der this name. 



14. schidigera, Lem. 

 Very similar to the 

 above, but with some- 

 what broader Ivs. and 

 the margin splitting off 

 into white ribbons. Mex. 

 B.M. 5641. -Frequently 

 flowers in cult. 



47. Agave 



attenuata. 



15. vestita, Watson, also of the type of A. filifera, is a 

 very recently described and introduced species. Lvs. 

 more bronzy than that species. Mex. table lands. A.G, 

 1892:609. It deserves a place in any large Agave col- 

 lection. 



16. geminifldra, Ker-Gawl. (Bonapdrtea juncea, 

 Haw.). Lvs. often 200-300, narrowly linear, somewhat 

 recurved, 1/^-2 ft. long, somewhat convex on both 

 sides: flower stalk sometimes 25 ft. long. Mexico, where 

 it grows commonly along streams. B.R. 1145. F.S. 7, 

 p. 6. Very common. 



17. Taylori, Hort. A garden hybrid of A.geminiflora 

 and A. densiflora is often seen in cult. Mn. 7:111 

 G.C. II. 8:621. 



18. Sch6ttii, Engelm. (A. yemni flora var. Sondrce, 

 Torr.). Stemless : Ivs. linear, 1 ft. or less long and only 

 %in. broad, flat or concave, very rigid, sharp-tipped, 

 the margin usually with white threads: fls. 1/^in. long 

 S.Ariz. B.M. 7567. 



