— 5 — 
ovary in common with the true bulbiferous Amarylli&aceae, 
distinguished by a naked scape and an involucral spathe. The 
numerous horizontally-flattened black seeds, mentioned already 
bv Salisbury as being common to Yucca and Agave, are not 
found in the true Amaryllis family ; nor do these possess the fili¬ 
form embryo which diagonally traverses the whole length of the 
albumen. Other interesting differences are found in the valvate 
aestivation of the Agaveae and in their commissural* stigmas^ 
trunk. 
The majority of the Agaves are acaulescent and monocarpic; 
the short subterranean trunk continues to grow for yearsf until 
vigorous enough to evolve the flowering stem, a continuation of its 
axis, and dies after bearing.fruit. During its growth a wreath of 
numerous thick, fleshy, white root-fibres is developed every spring 
from its lower part, while the lowest, oldest part of the trunk dies 
and rots away. This is the case atleast in Agave Virginica . 
A few Agaves have persistent trunks, sometimes of considerable 
dimensions ; these produce flowers repeatedly, just as the caules¬ 
cent Yuccas do, from axillary branches, after the terminal bud of 
the main axis has fulfilled its destiny and died. These secondary 
branches are initiated by a pair of short and clumsy, strongly 
carinate leaves, which may be considered as representing bud- 
scales ( Niederblaetter ), as I noticed in vigorous specimens of 
A. Boucheana, Jacobi, and A. chlorocantha , Salm, in the Berlin 
botanic garden, 1869, 
In the acaulescent Agaves the subterranean trunk dies entirely, 
or for the greater part; but in A. Americana , and probably in 
the majority of the species, it first emits from the axils of decay¬ 
ing leaves numerous offshoots, which grow into separate young 
plants and thus propagate the individual. In A. Virginica it pro¬ 
duces sessile lateral buds, which grow up, still adhering to the 
persistent part of the old trunk, a sort of corm, givirig.to the plant 
* Stigmas formed by the commissures of the carpels, therefore alternating with these, a 
comparatively rare case. The common form is the carinal stigma, formed by thetip of the i 
r rather superimposed jto the carpel^rh r ife^5e #> \ 
ition and carinal stigmasfand^Sif'have Yucca J 
C carpel itsel^or it^carma^ therefore 
truJ'Ama^llidaceae have an imbri 
