turn and Oliverella, mainly from Mexico ; Sedum, from both the 

 Old World and the New ; and Sempervivum, the houseleeks, know 

 from the Old World only. Other genera of this family will be 

 found on the north bench in house no. 7. 



A queer plant from southern Africa, belonging to the yam 

 family, Dioscoreaceae, is on this bench at the end near house 

 no. 4. This is Tcstudiimria elephantipes, or elephant's-foot, so 

 named in allusion to the stem which, in large plants, has an 

 appearance not unlike the foot of an elephant. 



House No. 6. 

 This is also devoted to desert or xerophytic plants. On the 

 two corner benches to the right, as you enter from house no. 5, is 

 a collection of century plants, Agave, mainly native in Mexico or 

 adjacent territory, with some in northern South America, the West 

 and elsewhere. Large plants of the same will be found in 

 itral part of the house. Among these are fine plants of the 

 ing species: Agave filifera, the thread-like margins of the 

 giving it the name of the thread -bearing agave ; Queen Vic- 

 agave, Agave Vutoriae-Reginae ; Agave amoena ; Agave 

 ferox, with its vicious -looking hooked and irregular spines; and 

 Agave amcricana, with its many variegated forms. Of especial 

 economic interest is Agave rigida, from which the sisal hemp of 

 commerce is obtained. It is said to be a native of Yucatan, and is 

 usually known in Spanish-speaking countries as henequen. Its 

 cultivation has been introduced into many tropical countries, but 

 it is produced commercially for its fiber mainly in Yucatan, the 

 Bahamas, Turk's Islands, Cuba and Hawaii. 



There is a popular belief to the effect that the American cen- 

 tury plant, Agave americana, flowers only when it is one hundred 

 years old, and from this has arisen the name of century plant. 

 This is erroneous, for, although it appears to have no stated 

 flowering age, it certainly flowers at a much earlier age than 

 one hundred years. 



The Mexican drink called pulque is made from the juice of some 

 plant of this genus, said by some to be Agave americana, the 

 maguey. When the plant is about to bloom the buds and upper 



