PLATE CCCCXXXVIT. 
AGAVE AMERICANA. 
Great American Aloe. 
CLASS VIL. ORDER tf. 
—— HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Six Chives. One Pointal. 
ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER. 
Catyx nulls. Corolla monopetala, Sex- — 
EmpateMent none. Blossom one-petalled, six 
amina sena, corolla longiora. Germ 
tyl 
parted. Chives six, longer than the blossom. 
— Stylus longior staminibus. Cap- Seed-bud beneath. Shaft longer than the 
‘toes aris, trivalvis; Semina nume- chives. Capsule -_ -celled, three- wiivet 
Pt - Seeds many. 
SPECIFIC CHARACTER. 
. AGave, acaulis, foliis dentatis, spinosis : po Acave, without a stem ; leaves toothed and 
medio ramoso : floribus terminalibus in orny : flower-stem in the centre branched: 
umbellis densissime capitatis: tubo corolla i i 
lete viridi, e medio angustato: staminibus - headed umbels: the tube of the Blossom is 
' corolla longioribus: stylo staminibus lon- i i 
re, 
chives are longer than the flowers, and the 
style longer than the chives, - 
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE. 
: A plant in miniature. 
al si 
Fe 
F 
$3 
| 
@ 
wo 
5. 
a 
rsely, 
. The end of a leaf, the upper part scraped to show its thready fibres. 
nets 
. Tats tall and stately plant has ever been regarded, in this country, as an object of sufficient interest and 
ae cariopity to merit an exposure in the form of an exhibition ; whilst in the southern parts of Spain and 
or they are so abundant as to form hedges, by way of barriers to repress the inroads of cattle. There 
are several very slight aria one of whose leaves are edged with yellow, but the same in every 
 other-respect. " Miller enumerates one whose eaiticniated flowers bear a very different aspect. Cortusus 
is said to be the first Baicipean that possessed this great Aloe, about the year 1561: in 1714 two flow- 
_ ered at Hampton Court, and one at the duke of Buckingham’ s. At Friedericksberg, in Denmark, one 
flowered with 19 branches and 4000 flowers; and one in the kin ing of Prussia’ 
 feethigh. They ar ore frequently found in bloom, as rarely a year passes without“one or more 
of them being advertised for public inspection. itio i 
= useful properties : aes in his ae History of Valentia 
ed. 
as a succedaneum for soap, and the spungy substance of Bs stem 
The points of the aves are by the Indians made use of to their arrows, wi 
eae a good substitute for iron; and the thready character of their fibres furnishes ate that is 
to fasten hops innzeus has ‘separated this genus from 
stem of the Al 
two EB ont at Kaecagren Gore 
2 
a : . Onr figure was male ligt: 
5 eac Ting 2000 gue “ about 70 rs old, belonging to — 
J. Vere, Esq. who perfectly recollects them fo mht thoes warn pt 
ee ae Missouri Botanical 
‘ ue Masoee Limrany 
| | 
the extension of the sta-_ 
‘ 
