I will send you a sketch that I drew in regards the florescence ( specially seen in the 

 Short branches is nearly piriform) like the Agave Verschaffen! Unfortunately I did not 

 observe any fresh flowers; I only saved dried ones. But the drawings have been made on 

 the fresh florescence. This group is most mteresting. I will add that according to me the 

 Agave Verschaffetti is nothing but a variety of the Agave potatorum Zucc. Therefore it 

 would also be a synonym or very closely related to the Agave scolymus, that Kunth 

 descnbes as: scapus simplicitus ramosus. This plant had in our gardens also the name of 

 Agave amoena or hgans. There is a park in Lyon where there are about thirty varieties 

 of Agave Verschaffetti; several of these, flower every year. One of the plants that 

 flowered in 1876, is entirely similar to all the others, and has been labeled as Agave 

 potatosum syn. amoena. This year I will make a careful study of the flowering of this 

 species, with all the possible details and I will take notes. One of the plants that 

 flowered in 1876 was the vivipara, the other four did not carry fruits. The other varieties 

 grew from 1.60 m. to 4.90 m. 



We have at this time several Agaves that are ready to bloom: Agave dasyliroides Agave 

 Schidigore, Agave mitraeformis. The latter form part of the group of the large species 

 such as the Salmiana. 



In regards the question of the saponaina within the Agave, I wrote one of the military 

 pharmacists, the most distinguished in Algeria, to ask him to research the question of 

 the Agave Amencana. I will send you his response. 



Time is upon me and I am forced to end this letter. I will follow it by another very soon 

 with more annotations about the Agave. I would be happy if these observations are ' 

 mteresting to you and if you would like to continue our correspondence. 



Your devout, 



Alb. Weber 



Translation Manfred Thurmann 



