908 
In Yucatan, where the Haitian name henequen or jenequen 
has been imposed by the Spanish-speaking people on the narrow- 
leaved Agaves, A. fourcroydes and A. sisalana, which now cor- 
stitute so large a part of the agricultural resources of the 
peninsula, the indigenous Murcraea, very closely resembling the 
original henequen, /’. cubensis (Pl. XL), still bears the Maya 
name ,cahum” (Pl. XXXIX) or ,cahun’’*), 
In 1633, De Larr'® pictured, somewhat fancifully, a species 
of the genus from ‘Tobago — on which island F. tuberosa now 
grows — the pyriform fruits of which might well have been 
rather bulbils inverted in delineation. In 1648 and again in 
1658 Piso" figured, though inaccurately as to the numerical 
plan of its flowers, an evident F/urcraea as the ,caraguata guagu’ 
of Brazil; and between 1680 and 1720 the gardens of Holland, 
particularly, contributed to the literature either records of 
cultivation or pictures of American Aloes that are now recogul 
zable as Furcraeas. | 
As segregated by Venrenat, Furcraea contained only two 
Species, gigantea (the Agave foetida of Linnazvs) and F. cubensis 
(the Agave cubensis of Jacquin); and Wi.iemet knew only @ 
single species, pitiferum, for his equivalent genus Fun. 
Apart from a few known to pertain to other genera, the 
nominal species of Furcraea now number about forty, whic! 
Mr. Drummonp!4 has recently reduced to ten admitted and 
six possibly valid species. 
: = : 
") Fureraea Cahum n, sp. Shortly caulescent. Leaves green and rai 
nearly flat, narrowly triangular-lanceolate, very gradually acute, 6 X eee = 
] ! 
garnet becoming black-chestnut, mostly 30-50 mm. apart, 3-4 mm. ae 2 
size; ovary 25 mm. long; segments 6-8 x 20 mm.; filaments nee) 
Capsules (immature) broadly subpyriform-oblong, stipitate and beakes : 
ee. — The ,cajum”, ,cajun”, ,cahum”, ,,cahun”, or ,,cajum-ch 
Specimens examined: camino de Sisal (Scuorr, 809, 1865 — the ty pe). 
cubensis — from which it differs in its less lanceolate leaves, more dis he ol 
constantly upeurved prickles, and narrower perianth segments shorter than thee 
