66 THE AMARYLLIS FAMILY. 



THE AMARYLLIS FAMILY. 



A maryllidacecE. 



Chiefly stemlcss, sjnooth and succulent perennial kerbs, which arise 

 from bulbs or ?'ootstocks, and have scapose or leafy stems and mostly nar- 

 row and entire leaves. Perianth : six parted, or lobed. Stamens : six; 

 style, one. Fruit one to three-celled, capsular. 



FALSE ALOE. 



Agdve Vzrgim'ca. 



Floxvers : growing in a long spike at the end of a smooth, bracted scape, the 

 lower ones with very short pedicels. Fermnl/i : tubular ; ascending, expanding at 

 the apex and having six short lobes. Stamens : six ; their filaments long, thick and 

 greatly exserted. Sty/e : exserted ; three-lobed. Capsule : ovoid, and showing the 

 persistent, withered perianth at its apex. Leaves : from the base ; long ; narrow ; 

 pointed at the apex, and sheath-like about the stem ; rough on the margins ; many 

 nerved ; smooth ; thick. Scape : two to six feet high ; smooth ; and bearing several 

 close, sharply-pointed scales. Rootstock : short. 



In sterile, or dry soil this pretty plant grows and is rather a conspicuous 

 individual from the way the flowers point up instead of turning downward, 

 as is the habit with which we are mostly familiar. Although the custom is 

 very prevalent, it is quite improperly that the agaves are called aloes and 

 century plants. The narrow-leaved species, such as the present one, a fact 

 also true of yuccas with this characteristic, are again known to the natives 

 of the south and southwest under the name of " palmilla." Every year their 

 roots are sought and used domestically as a curative for dyspepsia. 



Agave Virginica is also one of the numerous plants credited with the 

 power of being a rattle-snake master. 



ATAMA5C0 LILY. STAQGER=GRASS. (Plate XX.) 



Atamdsco Atamdsco. 



Floivers : solitary at the end of the scape and subtended by a two-cleft, mem- 

 braneous bract. Perianth: funnel-form, with six, rarely eight spreading, pointed 

 segments; thin. Stamens : s\-x.; shorter than and inserted on the throat of the 

 perianth. Anthers: versatile. Style: consideral)ly longer than the stamens; 

 three-cleft at the apex. Leaves: from the base; long; grass-like; smooth; some- 

 what fleshy ; lustrous. Scape: erect, from an ovoid bulb coated with a membrane- 

 ous scale. 



