3i7 



exserted peduncle, oblong, pendent, with pen- 

 dent branches, glabrous. Flowers creamy white, 

 rather small ; style short, constricted, stigma 

 deeply six-lobed. Tablelands of Mexico. One 

 of the large tree Yuccas of northern Mexico, 

 which are locally called palmas, in contrast with 

 the smaller narrow-leaved species, like 2~s. ros- 

 trata and radiosa, which are known by the di- 

 minutive names palmita or palmilla. T.austra- 

 lis forms large forests in the valleys about Mon- 



the elongated and pendent flower-clusters of the 

 latter species. So far as inflorescence could be 

 seen, this proved to be the only species of this 

 type along the Mexican Central railroad be- 

 tween about Canitas and Chicalote,andit forms 

 great forests on the elevated red lands about 

 Gutierrez, Fresnillo, and Calera, where it often 

 assumes the low compact form noted as T. aus- 

 tralis to the eastward in the same latitude, some 

 of the short main trunks measuring fully 6 feet 



terey, and is especially abundant to the north in diameter. Because of the curly threads on its 

 of that city, and though there are many breaks, leaf margin, it is known as the "curly Yucca," 

 these forests continue in open places 

 along the Mexican National railroad 

 as far south as the city of Mexico, and 

 it is found in some quantity toward 

 Puebla, on the Mexican southern road. 

 On the Central railroad it is seen, ac- 

 companied by T. Treculeana and T. 

 rigida, in varying quantity in a few 

 places. Throughout this large area 

 australis is distinguished from its con- 

 geners by a long narrow panicle hang- 

 ing straight down from the cluster of 

 leaves, on a quickly arched base; and 

 as this character is as marked in the 

 fruiting clusters as in the flower clus- 

 ters, the recognition of the species is 

 very easy throughout the territory in 

 which it grows. Typically it becomes 

 a large loosely-branched rough-barked 

 tree, but in cultivation it often attains 

 gigantic proportions before branch- 

 ing, with an extent of many feet, of 

 the trunkcovered by still green leaves. 

 In the high dry region along the 

 Tropic of Cancer,alowshort-branched 

 form occurs, sometimes not over io or 

 12 feet high, but with a trunk 3 feet 

 or more in diameter. 



T. valida (Brandegee) . — Similar in dimen- 

 sions, habit, foliage, floral details and fruit, to 

 the preceding. Inflorescence broadly ovoid, 

 close to the leaves, continuous in direction with 

 the branch, hence either erect, horizontal, as- 

 cending or downwardly turned. Central Lower 

 California, and on the high tableland of Central 

 Mexico. About Durango, Mexico, in April 

 1900, I observed Yuccas of the simpler trunk 

 form assumed by T. australis, and with similar 

 foliage and flowers, but noticeable by their short 

 and spreading panicles, markedly different from 



YUCCA IN FLOWER. 

 Engraved for " Flora " from a photograph sent by Professor Trelease. 



and towards San Louis Potosi it is associated 

 with T. australis, which appears to be entirely 

 absent from the highlands, though it replaces 

 T. valida to the east. 



T. baccata (Torrey) . — A low species, usual- 

 ly from a stout prostrate short-branched caudex. 

 Leaves rigidly spreading, bluish green, about 

 2 feet long and 2 inches wide, concave, sha- 

 green-roughened, narrowly brown-bordered, 

 coarsely filiferous. Flowers very large for the 

 genus, oblong-campanulate, thelanceolate seg- 

 ments about ^ inches; style slender, elongated, 



