200 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 126 



17. Leaf-sheaths concealing the inflorescence; sepals to 17 mm. long, 



much connate ; flowers to 38 mm. long 58. Ae. recurvata 



17. Leaf-sheaths surpassed by the inflorescence. 

 18. Petals blue; floral bracts quickly deciduous; flowers 20 mm. 



long 64. Ae. cylindrata 



18. Petals yellow; floral bracts persistent. 

 19. Scape short, barely raising the inflorescence above the leaf- 

 sheaths ; flowers 25 mm. long. . . 60. Ae. pimenti-velosoi 

 19. Scape elongate. 

 20. Floral bracts subnavicular and enfolding the base of the 

 ovary; mucro about half as long as the calyx-lobe; 



flowers 20 mm. long 65. Ae. comata 



20. Floral bracts very narrow; mucro almost as long as the 

 calyx-lobe ; flowers 17 mm. long. ... 66. Ae. calyculata 



SUBKEY D 



I. Sepals mucronulate or pungent. 

 2. Floral bracts and sepals completely covered with a white woolly indument ; 

 inflorescence cylindric, 6 cm. in diameter; sepals 10 mm. long. 



87. Ae. perforata 

 2. Floral bracts and sepals clearly visible. 

 3. The floral bracts thin, strongly nerved. 

 4. Flowers finally becoming reflexed; floral bracts suborbicular ; leaves 

 spinose-acuminate ; sepals 14 mm. long, their mucros 3 mm. long. 



dj. Ae. squarrosa 

 4. Flowers never more than spreading. 

 5. Floral bracts emarginate; inflorescence with a conspicuous coma of 

 sterile bracts ; sepals 9 mm. long, their mucros minute. 



68. Ae. alopecurus 

 5. Floral bracts acute to acuminate. 

 6. Scape-bracts subcoriaceous, persistent, ample, very densely imbri- 

 cate and wholly concealing the scape ; leaves acute or acuminate ; 

 petals blue toward the apex; flowers 20-25 mm. long; sepals 



8-10 mm. long, lanate at the base 69. Ae. vanhoutteana 



6. Scape-bracts membranaceous, soon disintegrating, narrow, the 



lower ones laxly imbricate to remote; leaves rounded and 



apiculate; petals yellow. 



7. Inflorescence lax especially toward the base, anthesis beginning 



in the middle ; sepals 7 mm. long exclusive of the 3 mm. mucro. 



49. Ae. kertesziae 

 7. Inflorescence dense tliroughout, its axis completely hidden; 

 sepals 3-5 mm. long exclusive of the 1.5-2 mm. mucro. 

 8. Lower scape-bracts mostly exceeding the internodes, nar- 

 rowly triangular 65. Ae. comata 



8. Lower scape-bracts remote, ovate 70. Ae. kleinii 



3. The floral bracts thick, coriaceous or woody. 

 9. Apices of the floral bracts angled, acuminate, not truly mucronate; 

 sepals 22-27 mm. long. 

 ID. Scape-bracts serrate; floral bracts and sepals punctulate-lepidote. 



88. Ae. sphaerocephala 



