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Ta b . 8581.<br />

AGAVE b r a c T e o s a .<br />

Northern Mexico.<br />

am a r y l l i d a c e æ. Tribe ag a v e æ .<br />

aga v e , Linn. Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant. vol. iii. p. 788; Baker, Handb. Amaryll.<br />

p. 188.<br />

Agave bracteosa, S. Wats. ex Engelm. in Gard. Chron., 1882, vol. xviii. p.<br />

776, fig. 188–189; S. Wats. in Proc. Amer. Acad. vol. xviii. p. 162 (1883);<br />

Baker, Handb. Amaryll. p. 192; Hemsl. in Biol. Centr.-Amer. vol. iii. p.<br />

340; species A. pruinosae, Lemaire, affin<strong>is</strong>, sed planta acaulescente foli<strong>is</strong>que<br />

e basi dilatata ad apicem gradatim attenuat<strong>is</strong> differt.<br />

Frutex; acaulescens. Folia circiter 50 rosulatim d<strong>is</strong>posita, e basi 6 cm. lat<br />

et 1 . 5 cm. crassa ad apicem longe acuminatum gradatim attenuata, 60<br />

cm. longa, supra basin 3 . 5 cm. lata, primum sursum curvata, demum<br />

valide decurva, plano-convexa, marginibus tenuibus minute denseque<br />

albo-dentat<strong>is</strong>, subscabrida. Pedunculus 12 dm. altus; bracteae plures,<br />

subulatae, recurvatae, ad 15 cm. longae; spica 60 cm. longa, densiflora.<br />

Perianthum viride, segment<strong>is</strong> albo-marginat<strong>is</strong>; tubus brev<strong>is</strong>simus; segmenta<br />

ovato-oblonga, obtusa, patentia, 12 mm. longa, 7 mm. lata. Filamenta<br />

filiformia, alba, 6 cm. longa; antherae oblongae, luteae, 8 mm.<br />

longae. Ovarium fusiforme, viride, 15 mm. longae, 5 mm. diametro; stylus<br />

albus, stamina demum paulo superans; stigma punctiforme. Capsula<br />

oblonga, obtusa, 2 cm. longa. — C. H. Wri g h T .<br />

The Agave which forms the subject of our illustration<br />

<strong>is</strong> a very d<strong>is</strong>tinct species belong to the section Littaea<br />

which differs from A. pruinosa, Lemaire, where the leaves<br />

are also finely dentate, in having the leaves gradually<br />

tapered upwards from a short thickened base, whereas<br />

in A. pruinosa the leaves are oblong-oblanceolate, and<br />

are four inches broad or broader above the middle, but<br />

contract to two and a half inches or less just above the<br />

base. When first described A. bracteosa was believed to<br />

have about fifteen leaves in its rosette, but under cultivation<br />

the plants have developed many more. A. bracteosa<br />

was d<strong>is</strong><strong>cover</strong>ed by Dr. E. Palmer about fifteen miles<br />

from Monterey the province of Nuevo Leon in Northern<br />

Mexico, and was introduced by him to the Harvard<br />

Botanic Garden, where it flowered for the first time in<br />

1881. It was met with again by Mr. Pringle in the same<br />

d<strong>is</strong>trict in June 1889, growing on ‘dry calcareous mountain<br />

walls.’ The plant from which the material for our<br />

ocT o b e r , 1914.

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