THE SMALLEST OF THE CENTURY PLANTS 9 



presented his classical notes on Agave to the academy thirty-five years 

 ago, he stated that the occurrence on the margins of these leaves of 

 detaching threads above and little prickles below was, so far as known, 

 unique in the genus, and except for a very few close relatives of this 

 plant the statement still holds true. 







3* 





Fig. 7. Candelabrum-like Panicles. 



The main kinds of Agave fall into two recognized classes : one, illus- 

 trated by the true century plant and the pulque magueys, bears flowers 

 in candelabrum-like panicles; the other, like the lechuguilla, has its 

 flowers disposed mostly in pairs along a wand-like spike. An effort 

 has been made to separate these latter from Agave under the generic 

 name Littcea, but this has not met with general acceptance and in fact 

 there are puzzlingly intermediate species, as, for instance, the Littcea 



