126 
AMARYLEIDACETE. 
1. Violaeflora. — PI. 24. f. 16, 17. Spec, ex Chili. Gum- 
ming et Bridges. Herb. Hooker. — Bertero lett. 
Bullet, de sci. nat. 
§. 3. Agaviformes. — Semibulbous or stemmed; seeds flat, 
with a black or brown shell. 
25. Fourcroya.— Bulb imperfect, or long-lived stem ; ger- 
men oblong, attenuated below, drooping ; perianth in 
six segments, regular, nearly patent, alternate seg- 
ments equal ; filaments (short) subulate, obovately 
thickened at the base, conniving ; anthers versatile ; 
style straight, hollow, triangular, enlarged below ; 
stigma triangular, fringed ; capsule oblong, oval, 
3-valved, 3-celled ; seeds black, numerous. [/ have 
had no opportunity of ascertaining with my own eyes 
whether the perianth is absolutely divided, but rely on 
the report of Zuccarini .] See PI. 34. fig. 20-25. Cer- 
tainly distinct from Agave. 
1 . Longaeva. — ( Beyond all comparison the most magnificent 
plant in the order .) Zucc. IN ov. Act. Phys. Med. Ac. 
Cses. Leop. Car. v. 16. p. 2. 666. ic. 48. Stem 
forty feet high, leaves in the form of Dracaena or 
Charlwoodia, less rigid and erect than Y ucca ; inflo- 
rescence terminal, 30 feet high, pyramidal, lower 
branches thereof 12 to 15 feet long ; flowers white, 
innumerable, much like those of gigantea. Sup- 
posed to be 100 years, in all probability at least 
50, coming to maturity. Native of the summit of 
Mount Tanga in Mexican Oaxaca, 10,000 feet 
above the sea, on slopes amongst oaks and arbutus, 
where the water is frozen for a long continuance in 
winter. Flowers in May and ripens fruit the fol- 
lowing winter. There can be little doubt that this 
marvellous plant would flourish in this country. 
Karwinski has introduced it into Europe, and it 
may be seen alive at Mr. Loddiges at Hackney. 
2. Gigantea. — Bot. Mag. 48. 2250. — Dec. PI. grass. 
126. Agave foetida. Willd. — 3. Tuberosa. Comm. 
Hort. 2. f. 19. — 4. Cubensis. Jacq. Am. pic. t. 
260. f. 25. — 5. Rigida. Haworth. Syn. — 6. Austra- 
lis. ib. — 7. Madagascariensis. Horneman. — 8. Can- 
tala. Haworth Suppl. China. 
Mr. Decandolle rejected the genus Fourcroya because he 
