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In his Catalogue of the plants of Bombay and its vicinity, 

 Graham has the following : " 1572 A. Cantula Roxb. Flora 

 "Ind.2p. 167. Aloe americana Humph. Sort. Amb. 5. t. 9&. 

 " A stately Aloe-looking plant, the central scape rising to the height 

 "of 15 to 20 ft., flowers in rains ; in gardens, Bombay, Seroor. 

 " There is a variety with long flexuous leaves. The seeds germinate 

 "in the capsules before they drop off, as in A. vivipara" 



The common Agave of to-day in hedges near Bombay and 

 Poona is a plant which we identify with Rumpf's figure and 

 with Roxburgh's " Cantala. " It seems doubtful if there are 

 specimens of this from the New World in European collections, 

 unless it be Agave laxa of Zuccarini (for which see Baker in 

 Qard. Chronicle Vol. VIII. 1877. p. 780, figure 151). Mr. 

 Baker's figure is not unlike a form that is common in hedges at 

 Saharanpur (in the Agra Province). This form was referred 

 by the late"A/r. Gollan to an Agave that is identical with 

 specimens recently collected in the Bombay neighbourhood, 

 which we refer to A. Cantala. 



The Saharanpur Catalogue of 1855 shews the following, 

 A. procumbens, A. tuberosa, A. cantula, A. americana, and Littaea 

 geminiflora. The last named is an Agave of a different section 

 from the Euagaves, and for our purpose negligible. The " A. 

 tuberosa " was probably a Furcraea which is still represented in 

 the Garden, though not naturalized anywhere in N. India. 

 " A. americana " probably covered A. americana, Linn, (culti- 

 vated in the Grarden solely) as well as a quite different species 

 which has run wild in waste places and hedges through the 

 whole Civil Station. On what authority we have not been able 

 to discover, the second species has been called "A. lurida" 

 at Saharanpur for some time past. To this Saharanpur 

 " lurida " (which is not = hirida H. B. C.) the natives give the 

 name of " JRdmbanskeora " to distinguish it from the ordinary 

 *' Banskeora " which at Saharanpur is usually applied to 

 Wight's A. vivipara. 



In Dr. Jameson's Catalogue " BansJceora " is appropriated to his " Agave 

 procumbens," but this is possibly a slip. If, however, the vernacular name 

 was deliberately restricted to "A* procumbens," then "A. procumbens " was 

 most likely meant for Wight's " vivipara," the allusion being to the way the 

 trunk often lies along the banks of ditches and other sites where " vivipara " 

 luxuriates, particularly near the old Rohilla fortifications. 



If procumbent was = vivipara (Wight), then A. cantula must have been 

 Roxburgh's species. 



