AMABYLLIDACEAE. 73 



Family 4. AMARYLLIDACEAE Lindl. 



Amaeyllis Family. 



Perennial herbs (some tropical species woody or even arboreous), with 

 bulbs or rootstocks, scapose or sometimes leafy stems and usually narrow 

 and entire leaves. Flowers perfect, regular or nearly so. Perianth 6- 

 parted or 6-lobed, the segments or lobes distinct, or united below into a 

 tube which is adnate to the surface of the ovary (adnate only to the lower 

 part of the ovary in Lophiola) . Stamens 6 in our genera, inserted on the 

 bases of the perianth-segments or in the throat of the perianth opposite the 

 lobes. Anthers versatile or basifixed, 2-celled, the sacs usually longi- ' 

 tudinally dehiscent. Ovary wholly or partly inferior, usually 3-eelled. 

 Style filiform, entire, lobed, or cleft into 3 stigmas at the summit. Ovules 

 usually numerous, rarely only 1 or 2 in each cavity of the ovary, ana- 

 tropous. Fruit capsular, rarely fleshy. Seeds mostly black, the embryo 

 small, enclosed in fleshy endosperm. About 70 genera and 800 species, 

 principally natives of tropical and warm regions, some in the temperate 

 zones. 



Plants with rootstocks or corms. 



Inflorescence umbellate ; capsule cireumscissile ; low herbs. 1. Bypoxis. 



Inflorescence paniculate ; capsule S-valved ; large plants with 

 flowers on tall scapes. 

 Perianth funnelform. 2. Agave. 



Perianth rotate-campanulate. 3. Furcraea. 



Bulbous plants. 



Filaments distinct. 4. Atamosco. 



Filaments united below into a cup. 5. HymenocalUs. 



1. HTPOXIS L. Syst. ed. 10, 986. 1759. 



Low, mostly villous herbs, with a corm or short rootstock, grass-like leaves 

 and slender few-flowered scapes, the flowers rather small. Perianth 6-pajted, 

 its segments equal or nearly so, separate to the summit of the ovary, withering- 

 persistent. Stamens inserted on the bases of the perianth-segments; filaments 

 short; anthers erect, sagittate or entire. Ovary 3-celled; style short; stigmas 

 3, erect; ovules numerous, in 2 rows in each cavity. Capsule thin-walled, not 

 dehiscent . by valves. Seeds globular, black, laterally short-beaked by their 

 stalks. [Greek, originally given to some plant with sour leaves.] About 50 

 species, widely distributed. Type species: Hypoxia deoumbens L. 



1. Hypoxis jrincea J. E. Smith, Spic. 15. 1792. 



Leaves linear-filiform, curved, 3 dm. long or less, 1-2 mm. wide, glabrous 

 above, sheathing at the base. Scapes 2 or 8 together or solitary, filiform, 

 mostly shorter than the leaves, 1-flowered or 2-flowered at tie summit, weak, 

 reclining or prostrate when old; bracts linear-subulate; perianth about 2 em. 

 broad, its acute segments oblong-lanceolate, pubescent outside, yellow within; 

 capsule 4r-6 mm. long; seeds about 0.8 mm. in diameter. 



Grassy places and in pine-barpens, Andros, New Providence and Eleuthera : — 

 Georgia to Florida, west to Texas ; Cuba. SodthBrn Yellow-eyed Grass. 



2. AGAVE L. Sp. PI. 323. 1753. 



Fleshy herbs, some species very tall, with a short crown-like or erect 

 caudex and a tall bracted scape, the leaves large, thick, sometimes spiny-toothed, 

 6 



