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fembling tlic colour of fuft foap ; the flowers are of a hoaii- 

 tiful red colour, and appear in Angutl and titptcnilKT. 

 X, A. ohjciira, common foap A. with leaves, broader, Ipotted, 

 thorny at the edge, and flowers in fpike.-i. This has broader 

 leaves of a lighter green, with the edges and fjiines copper- 

 coloured, &c. \. A. ferrulala, hollow-leaved perfoliate A. 

 with leaves fpotted, fniely ferratcd at the edge and the tip 

 of the keel. fx. A. fubcretla, upright perfoliate A. with 

 leaves flat almoft upright, thorny at the edge, and on the 

 lower furface. v. A. dipnjfa, fliorl-leavcd perfoliate A. 

 with leaves embracing, thorny on both fides, and flowers in 

 fpikes. This feldom lifes more than a foot high, and the 

 leaves grow near the ground ; they are of a fea-green co- 

 lour, with fome white fpots ; their edges are befet with 

 (harp fpines : and the flowers grow in loofe fpikes, the tubu- 

 lous part being red, and the brim of a light green colour. 

 |. A. hunil'n, dwaif hedge-hog A. with leaves upright, 

 fubula'-C, radicate, with weak fpines all round. This plant 

 is low, and never rlies into ilcm ; the leaves terminate tri- 

 angularly, and are b.'fet on their edges and furfaces with 

 foft fpines, whence the name of hedge-hog aloe. The 

 flowers are leldom a foot high, below of a tine red colour, 

 and of a pale green above. Willdenow makes a diiUniil 

 fpecics of this ; llemicfs, with leaves trigonous, fubulate, 

 a»d aculeate, and flov.-ers racemous, reflex and cylindric ; 

 and he makes two varieties, o. A. milrd^formis, great mitre 

 A. grows to the height of five or fix feet ; the leaves con- 

 verge tov.ards the top in the form of a mitre, are fucculent, 

 of a dark green colour, and have f)"ies on their edges, 

 with a few on the upper furface : tne flower ftem rifes 

 about three feet high, and the flowers form a globular fpike 

 at the top, which becomes cylindrical : they have long pe- 

 duncle?, and the flowers hang downwards ; they are cut to 

 tlie bottom into fix unequal fegments ; three of the llamens 

 are as long as the tube of the corolla, the other three are 

 fhorter : the tube is of a fine red colour, and the brim of a 

 pale green, v. A. brevifalia, fmall mitre A. 



3. K.arachnoidcs, cobweb A. ftemlefs,leaves three-cornered, 

 cufped, ciliate, flowers in a fort of fpike, upright, cylindrical. 

 The varieties are ; a. A..arachii. communis, A..piimila,^. of Linn. 

 fp. pi. 460, common cobweb A. with leaves fliort, plane, 

 flefliy, triangular at the end, and borders fet with ioft 

 fpines. This never rifes from the ground, but the leaves 

 fpread flat on the furface ; the flower ftem rifes about a 

 foot high, and has three or four fmall diilant herbaceous 

 flowers. /3. A. arachit. piimila, A. hcrlacea of Miller, A. 

 pum'da, E. of Linn. 460, with leaves ovate-lanceolate, flefliy, 

 triangular at the end, with numerous foft fpines. This 

 plant grows near the ground, the leaves are almoft cylin- 

 drical at their bafe, and angular near their ends, of a darker 

 green colour than thofe of the former ; and produces many 

 fuckers on every' fide. From the feed of this Mr. Martyn 

 has raifed a variety, which has fhorter, whiter, and fmoother 

 leaves. 



4. A. margarltifera, A. pearl, A. pum'ila, a, (3, y, of 

 Linn. 460, llemlefs, with leaves three-cornered cufped 

 papillofe, and flowers in racemes drooping and cylindrical. 

 The varieties are, a. A. marg. major, great pearl A. /3. marg. 

 minor, and y. A. marg. minima, leaft pearl A. The pearl 

 aloe is of humble growth ; the leaves come out near the 

 ground, and they are clofely ftudded with white protuber- 

 ances, whence the name. Thefe plants flower in feveral 

 feafons of the year. 5. A. verrucofa, A. dijlicha, /3 of 

 Linn. 159. warted or pearl-tongue A. ftemlefs, with leaves 

 fword-ihaped, acute, papillofe and diftieh, and flowers in 

 racemes reflex or club-fliaped. 'J'his Ipecies has long nar- 

 row tongae-ftiaped leaves, hollowed above, and kecl-ihaped 



Vol. 1. 



below, clofely ftudded with white protuberances; the 

 flowers form loofe fj'ikcs, and are of a beautiful red colour, 

 tipjied with green. It flowers at diflfercut feafons, and pro- 

 duces plenty of o(T-fets. 6. A. carinaia, A. dijlicha y 

 of Linn. 459, ftemlefs, with leaves acinacifoiin, papillofe, 

 and flowers in racemes, droopinr, curved. The leaves arc 

 broader and thicker, not fo concave, and with lefs protu- 

 berances than the laft ; the flowers are of a paler colour, 

 and the leaves (horter. 7. A. wacidala, fpotted A. almoft 

 ftemlefs, with leaves acinaciform, fmooth, painted, and 

 flowers in racemes drooping, curved. There are two va- 

 rieties, a,. A. mac. pnlchra, narrow-leaved, fpotted A., with 

 leaves fliarp, and jS. A. mac. oiiH(jtm, broad-leaved fpotted 

 A. with leaves blunt with a point. This fpecies varies, 

 with large, oblong, white confluent fpots, and with fmall 

 ones. It is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, and flowers 

 in Auguft. 8. A. lingua, or lingmrformis, tongue A. almoft 

 ftemlefs, with leaves tongue-flia]>ed, tooth-letted, fmooth, 

 diftieh, and flowers in racemes, upright and cylindrical. 

 There are two varieties: a. A. lingua angnjlifoliti, A. dif- 

 ticha, a, Linn. 459, common tongue A. with leaves nar- 

 rower longer; and /9. A. lingua craj/ifoliu, thick-leavtd tongue 

 A. This grows with its leaves, wliieh are about fix inches in 

 length, near the ground. The flowers are red below, and 

 green above. It is a native of the Cape of Good Hope. 

 There is a variety, with leaves much more fpotted. 9. A . 

 plicatilis, A. dijlicha, i. plicatilis of Linn. 459, Kumara 

 dijlicha Medic. Theod. fan A. almoft ftemlefs, with leaves 

 tongue-fliaped, even, diftieh, and flowers in raceme?, pen- 

 dulous and cylindrical. It grows to the height of fix or 

 feven feet, with a ftrong ftem, on the upper part of which arc 

 produced, two, three, or four heads compofed of long, 

 compreflcd, pliable leaves of a fea green colour, which are 

 placed in a double row : the flowers are red, and appear at 

 difl'erent times of the year. 10. A.varicgain, partridge - 

 breaft A. almoft ftemlefs, with leaves in three ranks, 

 painted, channelled, angles cartilaginous, and flowers in 

 racemes, cyhndrical. This is a low plant, feldom rifing 

 above eight inches in height : the leaves are triangular and 

 reflex at their extremity, flefliy, with their edges flightty% 

 ferrated, curioufly veined and ipotted, like the breaft of the 

 partridge, whence the name. The flowers which grow on 

 ttalks about one foot high, are of a fine red colour, tipped 

 with green. A variety of this was raifed by Martyn, from 

 feeds received from the Cape of Good Hope, with broader 

 leaves, and not fo beautifully fpotted, with the flower ftalks 

 much taller. It is found in the clayey grounds of Ethi- 

 opia. II. A. vijlojii, upright triangular A. fub-caulefcent, 

 with leaves imbricate, in three ranks, ovate, and flowers in 

 racemes, drooping, and cylindrical. It grows near a foot 

 high, with triangular leaves from the ground upward, of 

 a dark green colour, and the flowers are of an herbaceous 

 colour, with their upper part reflex. It is a native of the 

 fields of the Cape of Good Hope. 12. A.fpiralis, fpiral 

 A. fub-caulefcent, with leaves imbricate, in eight ranks, 

 ovate, and flowers in racemes curved back. There are two 

 varieties ; a. A.fpir. imbricata, imbricated fpiral A. and /S. 

 A. fpir. pentagona, five-fided fpiral A. This grows like the 

 nth, with rounder leaves, ending in fliarp points, and llie 

 flowers grow upon taller ftems ; a variety of this has been 

 raifed from feeds, much larger, with thicker leaves and 

 taller ftem. It is a native of the fields of Africa. 13. 

 A. retufa, cufliion A. ftemlefs, with leaves in five ranks del- 

 toid. Thefe are fliort, thick and fucculent, and compreflcd 

 above like a cufliion, whence the nam*-. It grows clofe to 

 tiie ground, and puts out fuckers on every fide ; tlic Jlowers 

 are of an herbaceous colour, and much rcfemblc thofe of 

 5C the 



