[ 47 ] 



Aloe ex Vera Crm, but had flowered for the first time at 

 Schonbrunn, where it had been received in 1753 from Holland. 



The description does not quite fit any Euagave with 

 which the writers are acquainted; the coloured figure shews 

 a plant* which, whatever it may be, is not A. americana, Linn., 

 nor A. lurida of the Calcutta Garden. It may be presumed 

 that the Vera Cruz Aloe of gardens was either identical with 

 the Aloe ex vera cruce(l] of the Hortus Cliffortiartus or was so far 

 like it that the two were identified. Alton (in the 2nd edition} 

 does not say that his Agave lurida was the Vera Cruz Aloe 

 of Miller, but he quotes W Hide now who took his A. lurida from 

 Alton's 1st edition and Willdenow gives two varieties, of which 

 foliis latiwilm is expressly said to be the Agave Vera Cruz 

 of Miller. Willdenow arranged his Agaves under two groups 

 Acaules and Caulescent es 9 lurida being in the latter. 



Turning now to Miller (Gardener's Dictionary, VIII ed.) 

 who, though he made full use of the Linnsean genera, adhered 

 in the main to Ray and Tournefort, we find three Agaves 

 of the Species Plantarum, viz : 



1. A. americana 2. A. fcetida 3. A. mmpara 



He had No. 3 in cultivation and describes it as foliis reflexis 

 marginibus dentatis, and identifies it with the Aloe sobolifera of 

 Hermann without hesitation, though Linnaeus was doubtful and 

 Commelin says flatly that they have nothing in common. 

 Willdenow had concurred with Commelin, at the same time 

 questioning Linnaeus' citation of Rumphius. 



We may say at once that the Agave vivipara of Miller must 

 be utterly distinct from the plant of Wight's Icones. 



Miller's second species is Agave (Virginia)^ which is alto- 

 gether different from Linnaeus' A. virginica. 



The following plants not known to Linnaeus are common to 

 Miller and Alton 



Gard. Diet Hort. Kewensis (2nd ed.) 



(1) Agave tuberosa = Furcrcea tuberosa. 



(2) A. Karatto = A. americana B. foliis margine fmcis. 



(3) A. rigida = A. lurida B. foliis angnstioribus. 



* The capsule and seeds are those of A. W^ightii nolis, which would seem 

 (from Schiede), to occur near Vera Cruz in plenty. 



t Not, as sometimes quoted, " virginica" following a mistake by Martyn 

 in Vol. I. Ft. I. of the " Gardener's and Botanists Dictionary/' London 1807. 



