— 306 — 



Notwithstanding these insufficient descriptions I feel convin- 

 ced that our plant represents an undescribed species. It is one 

 of the smaller species of the genus,, charcterised by its very 

 compressed bulbils, small flowers and geminate spines in the 

 margins of the leaves as in F. geminispina. I therefore propose 



to describe it as a new species and 

 name it: 



Furcraea stratiotes Boye P. n. sp. 

 F. caule brevissimo, foliis circiter 

 50 dense rosulatis, 35 — 53 cm longis, 

 3,5 — 5 cm latis, utrinque glabris læ vibus- 

 que, margine spinis rigidis geminis in- 

 structs; scapo cum panicula 2,8 m alto, 

 floribus pendulis albidis pedicellatis 

 parvis, 22 mm longis, bulbillisnumerosis 

 valde compressis; fructu ignoto. 



Specimen in Nicaragua lectum 1848 

 (A. S. Ørsted) et in hortum botanicum 

 Hauniense introductum et cultum. FL 

 1921. 



Stem lacking or very short; leaves 

 (about 50) in a rosette, with a base 

 5 — 6 cm broad, 3 cm thick; above the 

 base contracted to 2,5 — 3 cm, linear- 

 lanceolate, 35 — 53 cm long, 3,5 — 5 cm 

 broad at the middle, long-acuminate, 

 the apex with a small whitish mucro, 

 not a pungent spine, both surfaces 

 smooth and glabrous, margin with 

 double brown horny spines, not more 

 than 2 — 3 mm long, with a distance 

 of 1 — 3 cm between two pairs (Fig. 1); 

 simple spines are to be found near the tip of the leaf only. 



Scape 2 m high, at the base 2,5 cm, at the middle 2 cm, and 

 just below the panicle 1,3 cm broad, finely furrowed. 



The lower bracts of the scape 2 cm broad, 6 cm long, obtuse, 

 their margins minutely denticulate (Pl. IV, fig. 2), the upper ones 

 smaller, acuminate, entire. 



Panicle (Pl. IV, figs. 1, 3) about 80 cm long, thrice branched; 



Fig. 1. Part of the lower por- 

 tion of a leaf showing mar- 

 ginal characters. Nat. size. 



