3IO TRANS. ST. LOUIS ACAD. SCIENCE. 



triangular, dark colored spine, grooved on the upper side, and 

 about ^ inch long. Scape 8 feet high, flowers in a long, loose 

 raceme or contracted panicle ; bracts lanceolate, about i inch 

 long; branchlets 1-3 inches apart, 1-2 inches long, bearing 2-5 

 (not opposed) flowers. The whole flowerbud, just about open- 

 ing, nearly i inch long ; prismatic ovary equal to perigon ; tube 

 very short, only ^ or ^ of the lobes ; short stamens, which, when 

 fully developed, probably will not be much longer than the peri- 

 gon, from near the base of the tube ; anthers 4J-5 lines long. 



tt Stamina tubi fauci inserta. 



10. Agave deserti, n. sp. : acaulis ; foliis crassis glaucis 

 supra basin latissimam aculeato-dentatam leviter contractis ovato- 

 lanceolatis sursum sensim attenuatis in spinamgracilem elongatam 

 compressam ad medium anguste canaliculatam excurrentibus, 

 margine sursum corneo obscuro infra herbaceo aculeis uncinatis 

 flexuosis fuscis armato ; scapo graciliore bracteis distantibus 

 foliaceis lanceolato attenuatis dentatis stipato, ramulis paniculae 

 superioribus erectis, pedicellis fasciculatis longiusculis ; floris 

 flavi ovario subprismatico perigonium fere sequante, tubo infun- 

 dibuliformi brevissimo lobis oblongis erecto-patulis quater s. quin- 

 quies breviore, staminibus loborum basi insertis ipsis lobis duplo 

 longioribus ; capsula oblongo-prismatica breviter cuspidata. 



Eastern base of the Southern California mountains and in the 

 adjoining deserts. Fl. in June, but occasionally, as most of these 

 plants do, at other seasons. — The then Lieut. Emory,* in the ad- 

 venturous expedition to California in the fall of 1846, was the 

 first to discover this species in Valcitron, southeast of San Felipe. 

 A few years later Dr. Parry found it "on the arid hills and valleys" 

 in the same region, and drew up a full description, but did not 

 collect any specimens. Since then it was lost sight of until within 

 this year, when horticultural collectors again brought it into no- 

 tice. My specimens were obtained from Mr. G. N. Hitchcock of 

 San Diego and Dr. E. Palmer. 



* In his Notes on a Military Reconnoisance, Washington, 1848, p. 104, he says under date 

 of Nov. 39: "We rode for miles through thickets of the centennial plant and found one in 

 full bloom. The sharp thorns terminating every leaf were a great annoyance to our dis- 

 mounted and wearied men A number of plants were cut by the soldiers and the body 



of them used as food." A few flowers were saved and are now in the late Dr. Torrey's 

 herbarium. 



